Terrace House: Life Saving in the City
by sakurai-space
Summary: 6 Medical personnel. One house. 18 weeks. What kind of relationships will develop? Let's find out.
1. Chapter 1: The Move-In

6 Medical personnel.

One house.

18 weeks.

What kind of relationships will develop? Let's find out.

A Code Blue in Terrace House AU.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1 – THE MOVE-IN**

He was the first one to arrive.

He figured that out when he noticed there was no other pair of shoes by the door. Going up the stairs directly in front of the main door, he welcomed himself to a wide living room, with a gray L-shaped couch just big enough for 6 people to sit. He left his luggage on one side of the room, and took a seat on the far end of the couch.

 _5 more, huh._

He took his time observing the house's features. On his right was a sliding glass door, which leads to a pool and veranda. In front of him, there's a PC placed on top of a long wooden table and a pair of high chairs for the people who'd be using the computer. He also noticed a chalkboard by the wall near the PC. _Must be for leaving memos and such,_ he thought.

His observation was cut short when he heard a sound coming from the doorway.

The second member has arrived.

 _A female._

She heaved her luggage up and placed it beside another luggage, a lot smaller than hers, she noticed.

 _Good afternoon,_ she greeted, as she approached the guy dressed in a plain dark gray shirt and rugged jeans. He stood up and returned the greeting.

"Good afternoon."

"I'm Shiraishi Megumi. It's nice to meet you."

"Aizawa Kousaku. Nice to meet you, too."

Aizawa went back to his seat, while Shiraishi sat on the other side of the couch.

"Nice place, huh", Aizawa tried to start a conversation. "There's a pool over there," he points towards the glass door.

"Oh wow! Awesome!", Shiraishi's eyes widened.

Silence.

Shiraishi continued looking around the room while Aiawa awkwardly looks around the same spots he has already seen before he had company. Then his eyes landed on the said company who was wearing a pair of khaki slacks and white chiffon blouse.

 _Seems simple._ He noticed how she was sitting up straight by the edge of the sofa. _She's too stiff and…alert? Hmm, might be from Emergency._

His thoughts were interrupted when the lady he was "observing" turned to her direction, meeting his eye for a split second. They immediately looked away at the same time, sensing a little embarrassment from each other.

After a couple of minutes sitting in silence, Aizawa tried to start another conversation.

"Nice place, huh."

"Mmhm. Have you seen the whole place?"

"No, not yet."

"Would you like to tour then?", she said smiling.

Before he could respond, they heard a click from the door. They turned their heads to the stairs to find a woman lifting her luggage and rolling it towards the wall, which has now become an unofficial "baggage area".

"Good afternoon! Nice to meet you!", the girl in jeans and floral top approached them. "Hiyama Mihoko. Please take care of me." , she said as she reached out her hand for a handshake.

"I'm Shiraishi Megumi."

"Aizawa Kousaku."

"Woah! What a nice place! Ah, there's even a pool! This is gonna be fun!", Hiyama commented while her eyes roamed around the room.

"So there's just 3 of us right now?", Hiyama asked.

"Yeah. We were just talking about having a tour of the house when you arrived.", answered Shiraishi.

"Ah, but maybe we can do that later, when everyone's here, don't you think?", Hiyama suggested, to which Aizawa just nodded while Shiraishi answered, "I think you're right. Let's just wait for the others."

Aizawa was already uncomfortable. He's not that sociable to begin with, and now he's the only male around. He hoped the next member to arrive would be a guy, just to even things out.

 _Why am I here again?_ He thought to himself.

While the two girls are engaging in a small talk about each other's outfit, they heard another member arrive. They could hear him by the doorway, enthusiastically saying "Uwaa, the others are here!"

He was almost jogging when he made his way to the group.

"Yo! Hello housemates! I'm Fujikawa Kazuo! Nice to meet you all. Looking forward to living with you!"

The other 3 have just finished introducing themselves to the guy in shorts and Hawaiian shirt when they noticed another female approaching them.

"Hello. I'm Saejima Haruka. Pleased to meet you.", the woman said. She was wearing a knitted light blue top and black skinny jeans.

They took a seat after the introductions. The 3 girls sat together on one side and the 2 boys on the other.

"This is soooo exciting! I'm so nervous! Haha! Only one more member, huh? Can't wait!", Fujikawa cheerily said. "AH! The girls are complete! Nice nice!", he added while elbowing Kousaku and raising his eyebrows playfully.

Saejima looked away and rolled her eyes while the other girls just let out a small smile.

 _And we have a noisy one._ She thought.

"So-"

Before Fujikawa could finish his sentence, a figure was seen climbing up the stairs.

"Oh! He's here! He's here!", Fujikawa excitedly announced and all heads turned toward the man walking confidently, wearing jeans and a vintage shirt.

"Hi everyone! Nice to meet you. I'm Shinkai Hiroki. I'm looking forward to spending the summer with you."

He took a seat beside Fujikawa, and diagonal to Shiraishi. He flashed a wide smile on the said female, who returned it with a rather timid one.

"So, now that everyone's here, what do we do? Hahaha!", Fujikawa said, trying to make the mood.

"How about getting to know more about each other? I mean, we just know everyone's names so far. How about our work?", Hiyama suggested.

"Well, we all know we're from the medical field, right?", Shinkai added.

"Yeah, I'm a head nurse from the Emergency Unit.", Saejima said.

"Ah, then that makes us two from the Emergency Unit then.", Shiraishi said with a smile. "But I'm a doctor though." At that additional comment, Saejima felt her lips form a forced smile, and said "Ah, is that so."

"Make that three! I'm also a doctor from Emergency Unit. But I specialize in Orthopedic Surgery.", Fujikawa happily stated, but at this point, Saejima seemed to have lost interest in the group.

"I'm from the Obstetrics-Pediatric Department.", said Hiyama, which got a nod from Shiraishi.

"How about you dude? I haven't heard you since you said your name.", Shinkai nodded towards Aizawa.

"Neurosurgery.", he answered simply.

"Oh, then I have some competition, huh", Shinkai teasingly remarked.

"So that's five doctors and a nurse, then", Fujikawa tried to wrap it up, unknowingly annoying the nurse seated on the far end of the sofa.

* * *

Sensing the seemingly tense atmosphere, Fujikawa said, "Well, we're still a little stiff everyone but I think we'll loosen up as the days go by, right?" Then Hiyama thought it's the perfect time to suggest touring the house.

They went to the room adjacent to where they were gathered and found themselves in the kitchen/dining area. The dining table is a simple 6-seater rectangular one. The kitchen is complete with a two-door fridge, an oven, countertop stove, sink and kitchen utensils. Shiraishi and Saejima were both delighted by the wide kitchen space, while Hiyama commented that she'll leave the cooking to them since the most she could cook would be instant noodles. Upon checking, they found that the refrigerator and cupboard were empty so they noted that someone should go shopping later.

Next, they went downstairs where the game room was located. The room is carpeted, with three stylish chairs, a beanbag, and a center table. There's a flat screen TV with audio system, gaming consoles, and DVD player. "It would be a nice place to drink!", Fujikawa suggested. "Right!", Shinkai agreed.

Opposite the game room is the laundry area. It's separated by a sliding door. Two machines are placed in the small room, and just outside is a hanging area. The group decided that the machine on the left will be for the boys and the one on the right will be for the girls.

It was already late in the afternoon by the time they finished the tour of their new living space. They went back up to the living room to get their luggage and proceeded to their respective bedrooms. They decided to gather again at the living room after an hour to decide on chores and other tasks for the day.

* * *

The boys' room was beside the game room so they had to bring their luggage downstairs, while the girls' room was on the same floor as the living room, making it easier to move their stuff.

In the boys' room, they had a bunk bed for three, joined at the corner, making it seem like a three-level bed. It's made of dark wood and was placed on the right side of the door. A big rectangular rug was placed in the middle of the room.

"So, how are we deciding on this?", Shinkai started.

"How about Janken?", Fujikawa suggested.

"What do you think, Aizawa?" Shinkai asked.

"You guys can decide. I'm fine with anything.", Aizawa replied.

Shinkai shrugged and Fujikawa just looked at him, trying to read the quiet doctor's mind. The two proceeded with the Janken, which made Fujikawa get the top bunk, Shinkai the middle one, and Aizawa the lowest, which is also closest to the door.

* * *

The girls were delighted when they saw their brightly lit room. The room's arrangement was similar with the boys'. The only difference is they have a neon green chair and a low glass table above the rug in the middle of the room. The walls and beds are painted white, making the whole ambiance of the room feel pure and neat.

"I guess we should decide who sleeps where now," Hiyama started.

"You can go ahead and choose. I'll take what's left." , said Shiraishi.

"If you say so, then I'll take the topmost one," Saejima stated while making her way between the two and hauling her hand carry to the upper bunk.

"Well then, I'll choose the one by the window.", Hiyama said as she dragged her things to the other side of the room.

"Okay, I'm getting the lowest one then.", Shiraishi remarked, stating the obvious.

* * *

Back at the boys' room, the mood maker Fujikawa tries to initiate conversations.

"So what do you think guys?"

"Well, it's a pretty nice house." Shinkai commented.

"Yeah, I know that. But that's not my point. I was asking about the girls." Fujikawa said while grinning and wiggling his eyebrows.

"Hmm, I think everyone's nice. It's a good mix too because we also have a nurse aside from us doctors." Shinkai stated.

"Ah the nurse! She gives off this strong, independent woman vibe, don't you think? Man, that's my kinda girl!", Fujikawa grins again.

"How about you, Aizawa? Anyone who caught your attention in particular?", Shinkai tries to get the man to talk.

"No. Not really.", was all they got.

"What's your type anyway?" intrigued, Shinkai asked.

"OH! Good question! It's better to lay them all out now, so we could avoid rivalry in the future. Not that anyone asked, but your man right here is a chick magnet. You both better be careful!", Fujikawa proudly gestured to himself but Shinkai was looking curiously at Aizawa, waiting for the latter's answer.

 _What IS my type?_ Images of the three girls from earlier emerged in his head. He barely knows anyone of them (as a matter of fact, he only know their names), and he concluded it would be ridiculous to pick one of them as a potential "type" this early. His only conversation among the three was with Shiraishi. Maybe that's why her imaged lingered a little longer than the other two.

"Who knows," Aizawa finally answered. "Someone…interesting."

"EHH?! That's so vague! Everyone can be interesting, right Shinkai?"

"Well, it depends on how Aizawa defines interesting. As for me, I like someone who may seem fragile and feminine, but is actually tough and strong hearted. "

This statement made Aizawa turn his head to the speaker, who acknowledge him by a smirk.

"Don't worry Aizawa. You got 18 weeks to think about it. But if I were you, better make up your mind soon, or else we could be snatching your girl any moment." Fujikawa teasingly said while tapping Aizawa's shoulder, motioning him to get out of the room with them.

* * *

As promised, everyone gathered at the living room after an hour of unpacking their stuff. Now, they are faced with two tasks for the night: doing the grocery shopping and cooking.

"Since this will be our first meal together, I think we should prepare something grand." Hiyama suggested.

"But it might be difficult to cook too much in a short time. Do you think we should just order for delivery? Like pizza?" Shiraishi commented.

"Pizza sounds nice!" Fujikawa exclaimed.

"Okay, then I'll order while you go out to shop." Saejima volunteered.

"Ahh I'm sorry to say this but I can't help much with grocery. I wouldn't know which items to buy and such…" Hiyama said.

"Then…I guess I'll be in charge of the groceries then." Shiraishi said, as if asking for confirmation.

"I'll go with you. I'll drive.", Aizawa said while picking up the car key from the table.

This made everyone turn their heads to him, as if he just grew an extra head.

"What? We're dividing tasks, aren't we? I'm not one who just sits around waiting for food, but I'm also not one who could cook, so here's a perfect job for me, right?"

Everyone exchanged looks and said nothing else.

"Besides," he added "I don't suppose you could carry everything yourself, can you?", looking at Shiraishi.

Surprised with this comment, Shiraishi stuttered a bit "I-I guess so. Right."

"Alright! So we'll leave the kitchen duties to you guys!" Shinkai said as he made his way downstairs, where Shiraishi and Aizawa gave him questioning looks. "Thanks for waiting, guys. Let's go!"

 **/**

 **A/N:** First of all, thank you so much for taking time to read this very first written work of mine *bows 90 degrees*

This idea came up as I was watching Terrace House. So if you know the program, just imagine the house they're using there and you'll get what I was trying to describe here ^^;

Anyway, I don't know how many parts this will have. I only know that this will end when I get the satisfying ending for my ship that is YET to sail LOL

This chapter is pretty much an intro for the setting and the character so it might be a little "boring", but I promise the next parts would be more...interesting ^.^

Feedback is very much appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome Party

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Blue and Terrace House.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2 – WELCOME PARTY**

This has got to be the most awkward drive Shiraishi has ever experienced.

She's seated at the back while Aizawa drove and Shinkai took the shotgun seat. Nobody has said a word since they left the house a few minutes ago. They should be arriving at the grocery in 10 minutes, but the traffic situation in metropolitan Tokyo won't cooperate so she's estimating another 5 minutes on the road.

 _5 more minutes of awkward silence._ She thought to herself.

Shinkai was the first one to break the silence.

"So, Shiraishi-sensei. You work in the Emergency Unit, right?", he asked while he looked at her through the rearview mirror.

"Um, yeah. I've been a flight doctor for 9 years now, and I became the staff leader 5 years ago."

"Oh? Did you say flight doctor?", Shinkai followed up.

"Yes. You might have heard of the Doctor Heli system."

"Woah! THAT Doctor Heli! That's so cool, Shiraishi-sensei! You must have a bunch of admirers in your hospital then. I heard it's difficult to pass the Fellowship program to become a flight doctor. Everyone in the hospital must think you're really cool. And you're the staff leader no less!", Shinkai praised the female doctor.

"It's only difficult if you don't have the skills.", Aizawa spoke as if he'd been on the program himself.

"You say it as if you've experienced it first hand, huh, Aizawa", Shinkai looked at him with curiosity.

"I did. I used to be part of our hospital's Doctor Heli system before I transferred to the Neuroseurgery Department."

 _Heh. So he is-no, was- also a flight doctor, huh._ Shiraishi nodded to herself while looking at the driver through the mirror. To her surprise, Aizawa was also looking at her, too. She felt a bit embarrassed by the sudden eye contact and broke it immediately by looking outside the window until they got to their destination.

* * *

As soon as she entered the supermarket, Shiraishi headed towards the shopping carts and started making her way to the fruits and vegetables section. Living away from her parents since her university days, grocery shopping has been like second nature to her. It also served as her therapy when she's feeling down; when she gets homesick or when she loses too much lives in the ER. It's like she gets lost in her own world when she does it. Just like at this moment.

She was pulled back to reality when she heard a voice beside her. "You seem good at this", Aizawa commented, while examining a bunch of tomatoes in his hand.

Startled, she replied "Oh, it's just that I've been living independently for years now so I've gotten used to doing my grocery shopping. It's also therapeutic for me, when I had a long day at work. Weird, right?" she ended with a shy chuckle.

"Not really." was all Aizawa could say before they were interrupted by Shinkai who is now pushing the cart left by Shiraishi when she headed over the tomatoes section.

"Shiraishi-sensei is really a wife-material," Shinkai teased, which caused an immediate blush from the lady. "That's not true, Shinkai-sensei.", she said as she walked away from the shopping cart and towards the meat section. Aizawa rolled his eyes and started to follow Shiraishi. _What a flirt._ Aizawa is getting more irritated by this guy. He should be feeling friendly towards his fellow neurosurgeon, but for some reason, his flirty remarks have been ticking him off.

* * *

Back in the house, the trio entrusted with kitchen prep has started moving.

"Hey, what flavour should I order?" Saejima shouted from the living room, browsing the pizza delivery website on the PC.

"I usually order Hawaiian. What do you think, Hiyama-sensei?" Fujikawa said while arranging the place mats on the dining table.

"Ehh. I don't really like pineapple on my pizza."  
"No way! It's actually my favourite." Fujikawa sounding slightly disappointed. "It can't be helped then. Pepperoni it is, huh."

Hiyama nods while getting the plates from the rack, "Sounds good to me."

"Pepperoni!" Fujikawa shouted from the kitchen.

"Noted!" Saejima answered.

After setting up the table, Fujikawa and Hiyama headed back to the living room, where Saejima was busy with her smartphone.

"How long will it take?" Hiyama asked.

"30 minutes, according to the website."

"Great! Those 3 should be back by then." said Fujikawa. "So, what do you think so far?"

"Well, the house is really nice. I think I'll be comfortable living here." Hiyama answered

"I agree", Saejima said while putting her phone away.

"Eyy why is everyone talking about the house?" the male doctor said while leaning further back on the couch. "Of course I get it that the house is nice, no, it's awesome! So obviously I'm not asking about that." The girls turned their heads at him with puzzled looks.

"Then what are you talking about?" Saejima asked with a slightly annoyed tone.

"Us! The boys!" he said grinning, "Has anyone caught your attention yet?"

 _This doctor is really-_ Saejima thought.

Hiyama was the first to respond, "Well, it's too early to say. For now, I think everyone's interesting and nice. I think I'll get along well with any of the boys, and of course the girls too." Saejima added, "Although it's hard to pick the most interesting, it might be easier to choose who among the members is annoying, you know," casting a side glance to the male doctor who wasn't looking at either of them.

"Well, you're probably right. After all, it has only been hours since we got together. But just to confirm, you're both single, right?" Fujikawa asked, which the girls both responded to with a yes.

* * *

The supermarket trio got back, each carrying plastic bags in each hand. They headed straight to the kitchen where the remaining 3 followed and helped in putting away the groceries. The girls busied themselves by preparing some additional snacks and chips into bowls and plates, ready to be served later. The boys were putting things in the fridge and cupboard when the doorbell rang, signalling the arrival of their awaited dinner. Shinkai volunteered to get it while everyone finished tidying up.

"Dinner's here!" Shinkai announced as he got back and everyone excitedly gathered around the dining table.

"Here's to our first night together!" Fujikawa toasted.

"Cheers!" Everyone raised their glasses and with that, the Welcome Party commenced with happy energy.

Fujikawa was ready to get the ball rolling, "By the way guys, while the 3 of you were away, we had some talk and we've confirmed that the 3 of us here are not in a relationship right now. So how about you?"

"Well isn't that a given already? After all, if you joined this program, it means you're probably looking for a partner or trying to form some kind of relationship." Shinkai answered matter-of-factly.

"Eh?" Shiraishi looked somewhat confused, "It's true that I came here to build relationships, but that doesn't necessarily have to be romantic, you know?" This reply earned a raised brow from Aizawa and a nod from Saejima.

"Un, I totally get your point, Shiraishi", Hiyama also nods. "I came here to socialize with other medical personnel specializing on a different field, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to develop that kind of relationship too."

"Nice to know that the girls have the same goal," Saejima raised her glass and the two girls raised theirs in return.

"Ehh, that's unfair! It makes us look like the bad guys here," Shinkai jokingly protested.

"Well I'll be totally honest here and say that I actually joined to find love!" Fujikawa's bluntness made the group chuckle and just like that, everyone's in party mood.

* * *

A couple of hours and a few dozen cans of beer later, Hiyama, Fujikawa and Shinkai were already way beyond tipsy. Saejima had called it a night after finishing 3 cans, leaving only Shiraishi and Aizawa the only sober ones on the table.

"Aizawa-sensei's alcohol tolerance must be high."

"I was only drinking cola", he replied, "I have an early duty tomorrow morning. It would be bad to get a hangover."

"I see." _I don't even want to remember that time I got drunk._ She looked at their housemates. "What should we do with them? Should we wake them up? It would be bad if they fell asleep like this."

"If it's up to me, I'll just leave them there. But I bet you'd want me to suggest bringing them back to the rooms, right?

"Well, I'll just feel bad if they won't get to sleep in the bedrooms on their first night here."

With a sigh, Aizawa got up and tried to wake up the guys. Shiraishi also tapped Hiyama to wake her up. Shinkai got up from Aizawa's persistent "Oi, wake up" and headed back to the bedroom on his own. He was walking really funny already and it made Shiraishi worry that he might fall down the stairs in that condition, but Aizawa gave no comment on that.

Next was Hiyama's turn. Shiraishi's efforts were hopeless so she suggested having Aizawa carry her instead. _Are you kidding me?_ is what he wanted to say but opted to keep it in. He realized that he doesn't really have much choice in this situation so he gave in and carried Hiyama back to the girls' room.

"Sorry about that" Shiraishi said while following him back to the dining area to escort the last remaining drunk doctor.

"Why are you apologizing? You're not the one who got drunk."

"I just feel like I forced you to do something you wouldn't normally do."

 _What, can she read minds? Or am I just easy to read? I'm pretty sure I'm not._ He stopped walking and turned to her, which surprised her and almost made her bump into him.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

He looked at her for a few seconds and gave a short and stern, "No."

 _What was that look about?_ She thought to herself, tilting her head a little.

When they got to Fujikawa, Aizawa tried to wake up the orthopaedic doctor again but failed. This time, Shiraishi offered to help Aizawa bring him back to the boys' room. Aizawa declined, saying he could carry him on his own, but being the worrywart person that she is, Shiraishi strongly stated how the room was downstairs and they could easily slip and fall. So finally Aizawa just accepted the offer to end the discussion.

After putting Fujikawa to bed, they exchanged good nights and Shiraishi exited the room, only to be surprised that Aizawa made his way out, too.

"I thought you have an early shift tomorrow, er, later? Shouldn't you be going to bed now?"

"Aa. I'm just not sleepy yet. It feels like I just had some workout from carrying those people so I want to cool down a little first."

"I'm sorry," now Shiraishi _really_ felt bad.

"Again, you don't need to apologize. You're not the one who got drunk and you didn't force me to do anything, alright?"

"Okay."

Aizawa has almost reached the stairs when she called out, "Aizawa-sensei", she walked towards him, "Why did you join this program?"

 _There's that look again._ She thought.

Without answering her question, he climbed the stairs. Shiraishi followed, not sure why but she felt the need to apologize.

"Sorry, it's just that I didn't hear about over dinner earlier. You don't have to answer if you don't want to. Sorry."

"You know, you've been saying nothing but apologies to me." He faces her abruptly as they reached the top of the stairs. Surprised, Shiraishi took a miscalculated step back that almost sent her tumbling down the stairs, if Aizawa's reflexes weren't fast enough to catch her by the wrist. He pulled her up to him quickly and made a small squeal.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded while she tried to calm her heart that's been beating a little too fast – whether due to the almost-fall or something else, she's not sure.

He let go of her wrist and turned away.

"To improve my chances," he said nonchalantly.

"Eh?"

"You asked me why I joined."

"Ah...oh, right."

He gave her a side glance before putting his hands in his pocket and started to head out to the veranda.

Shiraishi reluctantly followed, hoping that his actions meant he wanted her to do so.

* * *

They took their seats on a pair of wooden chairs by the pool. They were facing the water, separated by a small table.

"There's an offer for a residency overseas. The program will serve as a foundation for building relationship between the two hospitals, both in medical techniques and business matters. I've been selected as one of the candidates. According to my senior doctor, I have high chances in getting the position," he paused. "That is, if we'd only take skills in consideration. They worry that with my personality, it would be hard to promote the business side of things. I'm sure you've already noticed but I'm not very sociable. Or likeable."

"I see."

"So I want to show them that I can adjust with whatever environment I'd be placed at. I'll show them that I'm the best choice. I'll make them choose me," rubbing his thumb with his index finger.

He was oozing with confidence. His eyes showed determination and it pierced through her even though he wasn't looking at her.

"It's all good then," she said while standing up. "The fact that you've joined this program already shows how determined you are. I say that's already the first step in showing how flexible you are."

He looked up at her and saw her smile and left. Just before she reached the sliding door, she looked back and said,

"By the way, I don't think you're not likeable. Not at all."

He looked her way only to see her retreating back, heading for the stairs.

 _What an interesting girl._

* * *

 **A/N:** First of all, thank you so much to all the readers of my first ever story! I hope this chapter didn't disappoint you.

Small confession: I'm biased towards some pairings *ehem*A/S*ehem* so please bear with me (m_m) But rest assured that I'll write about the other's interactions as well, although they might not be as detailed or as long.

Comments, ideas, and suggestions are welcome and highly appreciated ^_^

Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3: Breaking Walls

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Blue and Terrace House.

 **Note:** This chapter is more focused on building the friendship between the character, especially our dear girls. Enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3 – BREAKING WALLS**

It's a little over 7 in the morning. Saejima was having a smoothie fix when Shiraishi got to the dining area.

"Good morning Saejima-san. Oh, is it just us girls in the house now?"

"Hmm, Shinkai-sensei just left. I'm not sure about the others."

"Aizawa-sensei said he has morning duty. He probably left early," she said while opening a box of cereals.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Un, I slept well."

"No hangover?"

"Ah no. I didn't drink last night. I have morning duty today so it would be difficult to get up if I get a hangover."

"Really? I thought you were drinking until midnight since you went to bed so late," Saejima gave a questioning look.

"Eh? You were still awake then?"

Just then, Hiyama enters the scene looking dishevelled.

"Good morni~ng."

"Now this one I'm pretty sure was drunk as hell last night," Saejima smirked.

"Tell me about it. I can't even remember how I got to bed."

"Oh that. Aizawa-sensei carried you back," Shiraishi answered.

"No way! That's so embarrassing! Eh, wait. How did he do it? Piggyback? Bridal style?"

"Hmm, like this" Shiraishi put out her arms and did a scooping motion, demonstrating a bridal style carry.

"Uwaa! This is bad. He just scored major coolness points there!" Hiyama said with a chuckle. "Looks like I judged wrongly. I thought he'd be like the super stoic, serious type who doesn't give a damn about girls. Not that he's my type though. But then, you'll never know how things will develop huh…"

Shiraishi and Saejima didn't know how to react, so they let the comment pass.

"Oh right, by any chance, are you girls free later? I was wondering if we could have dinner together," Saejima inquires.

"Oh sounds nice! 7pm should be okay," Hiyama excitedly nods.

"I could probably join you after my shift," Shiraishi timidly answers.

"Great! I'll send you the details then."

Hiyama checked her phone and saw it's almost 8. "Oh crap, I'll be late. I better get going."

"Ah! How about breakfast?" Shiraishi suddenly noticed her hungover housemate didn't eat anything.

"No thanks! I'll just grab something from the convenience store," Hiyama shouted over the stairs.

Left alone again, Saejima tries to pry some answers from Shiraishi about last night's happenings.

"So, what did you talk about?"

"What do you mean? With whom?"

"Seems like only you and Aizawa were left sober."

"Ah. Hmm, nothing much," she didn't want to tell her about the reason he's there. She felt it's not her place to do so.

Saejima raised an eyebrow "Okay. If you say so. I'll leave it at that." _She's definitely hiding something._

Shiraishi continued to quietly shove cereals in her mouth.

"Will you be okay? You said you have morning shift today," the nurse reminded the emergency doctor.

"Oh no!", she checked her watch and left her half-full bowl of cereals by the sink. On the way out of the dining room, she bumps into another emergency doctor who seems to be still half asleep "Ah! Good morning Fujikawa-sensei!"

"Morning! Maaaan, this headache is BAD! Do we have breakfast?" Fujikawa said as he made his way to the kitchen.

"We didn't cook anything but we have some bread and cereals."

"No way! No rice for breakfast" Fujikawa is almost crying as he slumped on the chair opposite Saejima The nurse laughed at the childish action.

 _He's cute. Annoying, but cute._

"Alright, what do you want to eat?"

"Hm? Are you cooking?"Fujikawa felt alive again.

"Can't let my housemate die of starvation now, can I?"

"Oh, I feel honoured!" _I'm not still asleep and dreaming, am I?_

Saejima starts the rice cooker.

"How about curry? Do we have curry?" Fujikawa asked.

"Let me check. Oh here it is."

"Uwaa! Is it really okay?"

"I don't mind. I have nothing better to do anyway."

"I see. You also took a day off today."  
"Not intentionally. It just happened that I switched shifts with a co-worker a few days ago so she offered to take today's shift for me."

Fujikawa nods. "How about this? To repay you for cooking curry for me, I'll take you out for a meal on your next day off."

"Hn, that's a nice idea. Sure. I think I have one next weekend."

"Great! Next weekend it is. Do you have any place in mind?"

"Nothing in particular."

"I'll be in charge of planning then."

"I'm looking forward to it."

* * *

"Morning, Shinkai!" the resident doctor from cardiology department greeted, as he put an arm over the popular young neurosurgeon.

"Good morning, Morimoto-sensei."

"Oh right, you had that yesterday, right? Terrace House."

"Ah yes, I moved in yesterday."

"How is it so far?"

"The place is beautiful and everyone's nice. 5 doctors and a nurse. One is also from Neurosurgery."

"Really now? Isn't that nice? A girl?"

"No, no, it's a guy," Shinkai shakes his head.

"Ahh! It would've been better if it was a girl. That's a sure win for you then! I'm sure you could've charmed her with your knowledge and ability."

"She doesn't have to be from the same department to get charmed by my skills, you know," Shinkai said with a smirk.

"Heh. Sounds like you have eyes on someone already," elbowing the young surgeon.

"I'm not sure about that. I haven't had the chance to interact with everyone yet so it's too early to say, but for now, there's a girl that might be just my type."

"Good for you Shinkai! If you have any trouble, just come to me for advice. I'm not a cardiologist if I'm not an expert with the matters of the heart, you know."

"I'll make sure to look for you, Morimoto-sensei."

* * *

Saejima was the first one to arrive.

The restaurant had a quaint interior with a high ceiling and a mezzanine floor. The waiter led her to the reserved lone table upstairs. She took a seat on the brown leather couch overlooking the door, the bar and the rest of the dining area. A few minutes later, the door chimes sounded the arrival of another customer. Looking down, she saw Hiyama with Shiraishi trailing behind her. She waved at them and the two proceeded to go upstairs.

"Did you come together?"

"No, we just bumped into each other a few meters away," said Shiraishi

"How was work today?" Hiyama asked.

"Busy as usual. The helicopter flied thrice today."

"People from emergency lifesaving are really impressive," Hiyama commented.

"Really?" Shiraishi said.

"Un. I used to be in ER for my internship. Back then, I used to panic without the guidance of the senior doctors. My mind goes totally blank when it's an emergency. Like everything I learned from textbooks becomes useless. I couldn't respond immediately when it was a matter of life and death. "

"I used to be like that too. Everything I learned from textbooks flies out the window as soon as an actual dying patient was right in front of me. My whole body trembled and I just stood there frozen. That's why I'm very thankful for the guidance of my seniors. They helped me become stronger and become the staff leader that I am today."

Saejima cut the conversation short by saying "Well that's enough about work. We should start ordering before our topic gets all bloody and ruins our appetite."

* * *

"That was a nice meal," Saejima said as she put down her fork.

"Yeah. I never thought a simple restaurant like this offers such delicious food," Shiraishi commented while observing the interior of the place.

"Heh, as expected of a princess," Hiyama teases.

"Oh please don't start with that being-raised-a-princess talk" Shiraishi's smile faded slowly.

"But it's true right? Your father is a famous university professor. You're a straight-A student from elementary to med school. You're definitely raised like a princess," Hiyama challenged.

"Why do people always assume that?" Shiraishi's tone was somewhat sad and disappointed.

"What?"

"That I'm pampered and spoiled."

"Uh because it's true? And you're not denying it."

"There's nothing bad about being raised in such a way," Saejima reassuringly commented.

"I didn't say I hate it. It's just that, I feel like people distance themselves from me when they learn more about me and my background."

"They might just be intimidated," the nurse said in a soft and somewhat comforting voice. Then she gave a small smile.

"I guessed so."

"Is that why you joined the program?" Hiyama asked.

"Probably one of the many reasons, yes. I want to show people that I'm not as unreachable as they presume. I want to make real friendships that would last a lifetime," Shiraishi smiled.

"To the beginning of a friendship!" Saejima raised her glass.

"A friendship for life!" Hiyama also raised hers.

"Cheers!"

 _I haven't had fun in so long. I hope I can make more happy memories with these people._

* * *

It's Friday evening and it's almost been a week since they moved in. Shiraishi and Saejima were home earlier than everyone so they decided to make dinner for everyone. After all, it's not every day that doctors get to enjoy home-cooked meals. As the two ladies were preparing, Aizawa entered the dining area, with his PC on one hand and some files on the other.

"Welcome home, Aizawa-sensei, " Shiraishi greeted with a warm smile.

"Mm, I'm home," he pulled out a chair and put his things on the table.

"Have you eaten dinner yet?", Saejima asked.

"Not yet," he answered then proceede typing something on his PC.

"You can join us then. We've made enough for everyone," the nurse offered, and Aizawa muttered a small thanks.

Just then, Hiyama appears, with a towel on her hair, indicating she just had shower. "Ahh it smells good! Stew?"

"Un," Shiraishi confirmed.

"I knew it! I could already smell it upstairs. I'm so hungry! Ah, let me set the table."

* * *

The 4 housemates were in the middle of their dinner when Hiyama tried to initiate a conversation with the quiet neurosurgeon on her left.

"So Aizawa, how's everything for you so far?"

"Well nothing's changed in particular."

"Hmm…" she nods. "Are you getting along well with the boys?"

"I guess. We don't really see each other a lot. I think our schedules don't match."

"You mean you haven't had the chance to hang out with them?", Saejima asked. _Us girls have gotten together almost every night since Day 1._

Aizawa gave an uninterested "no".

Shiraishi looks up at the man across the table, and to her surprise, Aizawa was also looking at her with eyes that seem to question the action.

 _What?_ He thought.

 _Nothing._ She replies with her eyes.

She was the first to break the eye contact, tilting her head to one side. One of her mannerisms when she seems to not understand something, he noticed.

A few minutes after, Shinkai arrives, carrying a big box into the kitchen.

"Hey guys! Look what I've got here!"

"What is it?" Hiyama enthusiastically gets up and goes to the counter where Shinkai placed the box he was carrying. "OMG! No way! Guys, it's beef. High. Quality. Beef." Hiyama emphasized the last 3 words with delight.

"Really?! Woah!" Saejima also got up and joined the went over to check the precious Kobe beef on the counter.

"I got it from a patient I treated months before. His family owns a farm in Kobe."

"Ohh. You seem close with your patients, Shinkai-sensei," an amused Shiraishi commented.

"Close is an exaggeration. We just get in touch once in a while."

"Some capable doctor you are, Shinkai-sensei!" Hiyama praised while casually placing her arm over Shinkai's shoulder.

Shiraishi finished her meal and got up to put her place in the sink. She joined the huddle admiring the meat and discussing possible dishes they could prepare with it.

Aizawa looks at the group and felt _something_ inside him stirred. _So what if I'm not close with my patients? Not a big deal._ _Is such relationship really worth getting jealous of? I don't think so. Does that make him a better surgeon than I am? Whatever._

They were happily making plans for a barbecue party when suddenly, Aizawa got up from his chair a little too loudly, making everyone turn their heads toward him.

"Thanks for the food," he said as he put his plate of almost-finished stew in the sink, again a little too loudly.

He didn't seem to notice but the group felt the tense aura coming from him as he walked out of the room.

* * *

Hiyama and Saejima looked for him in the boys' bedroom first but he wasn't there. Then she went up to the living room and found Aizawa there with his PC and some files. The girls have discussed among themselves how he seemed to be in a bad mood after dinner. They figured this would also be a good chance to get to know him better since he rarely speaks to them, and honestly speaking, he's the only one who seemed unapproachable in the group. After all, and it's only natural to befriend your housemates, right?

Hiyama was the first to approach, using her friendly tone that she often used with bratty patients wh tend to throw tantrums before even getting examined "So you were here…" she sits on the couch near him. We didn't notice so we went looking for you in the bedroom and-"

"What do you need?" Aizawa cuts her.

Saejima and Hiyama exchanged looks.

 _So much with being friendly._ Hiyama thought.

"Ah. Mm-hmm, nothing really. We just wanted to talk to you because you seemed to be in a bad mood."

"I'm not."

"And also, we haven't really had the chance to talk with you since you're always busy with work," Saejima added.

"As you can see, I'm still busy and I don't really have anything to say to you,"

 _This person! Ughh! Well, we tried._ Hiyama shrugged and nudged Saejima. "So uh, looks like you're not in the mood to talk right now, so maybe another time?"

Aizawa sighs.

"We're going up. Good night, Aizawa-sensei," saejima said before turning back with Hiyama.

"Aa."

* * *

"That's it! That guy's impossible!" Hiyama frustratingly said while she slammed a fist on the table in the middle of their room.

"Eh? What? Did something happen?" Shiraishi asked as she entered the bedroom, drying her hair with a towel. She just got back from the shower and she could already feel the negative vibes surrounding her fellow doctor.

"We went to talk to Aizawa," Saejima started to narrate what happened. "Like what we talked about, we noticed how he walked out earlier so we wanted to ask him if something's bothering him. We're just concerned how he might be finding it difficult to adjust and everything."

"Ah-huh! And that guy just arrogantly shut us off saying he's busy and doesn't have anything to say to us?! What is wrong with him?!"  
"Well maybe he's just really busy. Or maybe he had a bad day? Anyway, it wouldn't hurt if we give him the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure we all understand how a toxic day at work may have us all irritated for the whole day, right?"Shiraishi tried to convince them.

"You're right, Shiraishi," Saejima said "Let's not think too much about it, Hiyama."

"Fine. But if he shows me that same arrogant attitude next time, I'll give him a piece of my mind until it drives him crazy and decides to leave the house instead."

 _It hasn't even been a week and we're already having this conflict. Also, what is that guy thinking? Is he sabotaging himself?!_ Shiraishi thought before she excuse herself saying she'll grab something to drink from the fridge.

"Good work today," Shiraishi said as she approached the couch, holding two mugs of coffee. She placed one on the table and pushed it to Aizawa's side.

"O. You too."

"Are you okay?"

Aizawa looks at her and raises an eyebrow. _What? You too?_

Shiraishi suddenly becomes defensive, "Ah, it's just, well…earlier, in the kitchen. It seemed that you were not-"

"Are you here to "cheer me up" too? Was I just bad-mouthed in the girls' bedroom?"

"That's not it. They were just-"

"I've already said it. I'm not in a bad mood. And even if I am, there's no need to get concerned because I can handle it myself."

 _That's it!_ Something in Shiraishi snapped.

"But I am! I am concerned. Aizawa-sensei, you said it yourself. You want to show your seniors that you can adjust, that you can adapt to your environment, right? Do you realize that your actions just now are contradicting that? The situation we're in right now requires us to maintain a harmonious living condition for everyone. That's why if you have a problem with something we did, please tell us. You may be used to dealing with your emotions alone or not telling anyone what's bothering you. But that's not the case anymore. We are here as your housemates. We want to get along well with each other and support each other. We want to develop certain relationships. We want to get to know you better, Aizawa-sensei," she paused. She realized Aizawa has stopped typing now, and he's rubbing his thumb and index finger, a habit he had when he's deep in thought, she noticed. "Ah. I've said too much. Sorry, I just…" she sighs. "Anyway…I'm going to bed. Good night, Aizawa-sensei."

"Shiraishi…" she looks back. _Never mind_ "Good night."

He closed his laptop and buried his face in his hands.

 _What the hell are you doing, Kousaku?_

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for staying with this story this far! I appreciate all the love I've been receiving from this fandom *hugs*

So yeah, this one doesn't contain much interaction between the pairs. But I've probably hinted two future scenarios you could look forward to on the next chapters: a lunch/dinner date with Fujikawa and Saejima, and a barbecue party. It's summer after all! and speaking of summer, the house has a pool in case you forgot so I'll make sure to put that to good use *wink*

Again, I'm very much open to suggestions, comments and criticisms. Thanks for reading! Until next chapter! ^_^


	4. Chapter 4: Progress Report

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Blue and Terrace House.

Let's get these feels started~! ^o^

* * *

 **CHAPTER 4 - PROGRESS REPORT**

At the dinner table, everyone was present except for Aizawa. The 5 members were engaged in a friendly exchange in various topics, from medical journals to more personal stuff like their hometowns and childhood memories.

When they finished eating, Fujikawa and Shiraishi volunteered to do the dishes, while the rest remained seated. Hiyama got herself a can of beer and offered some to Shinkai and Saejima, who gladly accepted.

Just then Aizawa arrived and entered the dining area quietly.

Fujikawa was the first one to notice his entrance. "Oh, welcome home, Aizawa!"

"Mm, I'm home" he replied with a small nod.

"Have you had dinner?" Shiraishi asked.

"Aa. I had one already."

"How about beer?" Shinkai offered.

"Sure."

The atmosphere was now a bit tense. There was no sound to be heard except from the flowing water by the sink. Sensing the heavy air around him, Aizawa took a deep breath.

"Hiyama, Saejima, I'd like to apologize," he started.

Everyone was stunned and looked to his direction. Fujikawa almost dropped the glass he was washing. Hiyama looked up from her smartphone. Saejima froze from lifting her beer can. Shinkai tightened his grip on his beer. Shiraishi calmly put down the plate she was washing.

"A few nights ago. I realized you were just trying to cheer me up and I…wasn't very nice. Actually, not only you two. I'd like to apologize to everyone if my attitude has offended you somehow."

Everyone exchanged looks and knowing smiles.

"Apology accepted." Hiyama said with a smile and raised her glass. Saejima gave a reassuring smile while nodding, and Aizawa raised his beer can in return.

And the night passed with a newfound peace in the house.

* * *

That night in the girls' bedroom, the events that transpired in the past few hours were still a hot topic. "That's great, right?" Shiraishi commented, with obvious joyfulness in her voice.

"Mm! At least he's not as bad as I thought. I didn't think he was the type who would apologize. I really wonder how his brain works…Well, that's one less thing to worry about. At least now I can be more at ease on my upcoming date."

"Right. Me, too," Saejima followed.

Suddenly there's too much going on and SHiraishi couldn't process the sentences she just heard altogether. "WAIT. What's this? Eh? What do you mean date? You have dates? With the boys?"

"Oh right! You weren't here the other night," Hiyama didn't even seem to notice the shock in Shiraishi's tone.

Saejima started to narrate how she made curry for breakfast for the hungover Fujikawa and how that lead to him inviting her out for a meal.

"Heh. So that's what happened. How about you Hiyama? How did you end up having a date with a neurosurgeon?"

* * *

 _-FLASHBACK-_

Shinkai had a late shift last night so he got home around 3 in the morning. He didn't bother setting up an alarm because he'll be having the next day, or this day rather, off. He woke up feeling his stomach rumbling. His last meal was a good 10 hours ago, since it's already 10AM according to his clock. He went up planning to have some brunch. _Hopefully, someone cooked breakfast or left some meals last night._

On the way to the dining area, he spots Hiyama lounging around the living room.

"Good morning, Hiyama-sensei."

"Ah, good morning! I didn't know you were home."

"It's my day off. You?"

"Same here. Have you had breakfast?"

"I was just about to. How about you?

"Un, I already had mine. I think there's still some miso soup left. There's also some rice in the rice cooker."

"That's great. Thanks!"

A couple of minutes later, he comes back to the living room holding a pair of chopsticks, a bowl of rice and soup. Seeing him, Hiyama laughed. _What is this guy doing?_

As if reading her mind, Shinkai said "What? I just thought I would be weird if I eat alone on that table when I could have company over here," and flashed a smile. "Besides, food tastes 10 times better when there's a pretty lady with you."

 _I'm calling it. This guy's a professional flirt._ Hiyama laughed at the thought.

"Wow. That line would've made nurses' hearts skip a beat."

"Hey. Did you just belittle nurses? I'm telling Saejima," Shinkai jokingly said.

"Hey! Of course I'm kidding!" Hiyama said while throwing a pillow at the guy. Luckily, he was able to block it with his free hand or else it might have landed on his rice bowl.

"I know, I know," he raised his hand in surrender. "It would be better if it made yours skip a beat too."

Hiyama laughed out loud at the comment. "Oh my gosh Shinkai-sensei! You're so good at this game!"

"Am I?" Shinkai also laughed. Changing the topic, he said "So, you're also free today. Wanna go somewhere?"

"I wish I could, but I still have to finish reviewing a patient's case."

"That's too bad," he said as he finished his brunch. "Okay, how about this? I can help you with your patient's case, then if we finish early, let's go grab something to eat somewhere."

"Hm, not bad. I'll take your offer then," Hiyama reached out and helped Shinkai up, the latter's hand gripping it a little longer than needed then taking it for a handshake.

Unfortunately, it was already early evening when they finished discussing the patient's file. It was a little more complicated than Shinkai expected so it took a lot of time and brainstorming of ideas on the best treatment possible. Shinkai didn't think so at first, but while exchanging thoughts with her, he found Hiyama really attractive. Seeing her professional side, he must say he's quite impressed with her way of thinking. The way she cares for her patient on an almost-personal level is also admirable. Spending his day off with her, talking about work, seemed to be more interesting than he imagined.

By the time they finished, Fujikawa and Aizawa were already home. Hiyama thought the 4 of them could have some ramen together and Shinkai readily agreed. He stood up to fetch the boys from the bedroom, but before he reached the stairs, he turned around and said' "Hiyama-sensei, it's the 4 of us eating out tonight, but if you don't mind, next time, could we have dinner together…just the two of us?"

 _-END OF FLASHBACK-_

* * *

"And…that's it. That's how it happened."

"Good for you, Hiyama-sensei! Somehow, I feel really excited for you," Shiraishi is now smiling from ear-to-ear.

"Hey! Why are you blushing! Stop that! It's just a date. And you could say it's just me showing my appreciation for helping me about my patient."

"We all know that's how it all starts though," Saejima teased her some more, poking her sides.

"Not you too, Saejima! And hey, it's no different with your date, you know? He's also just thanking you for the curry."

"W-well… he didn't make it sound like a date. It's just a meal together, and he didn't say it should be just the 2 of us. Who knows if he's planning to invite you guys, too? Shinkai-sensei directly asked you out."

Shiraishi and Hiyama exchanged looks. Somehow, they feel that Fujikawa won't be inviting anyone else.

* * *

"Saejima-san! Over here!" Fujikawa enthusiastically waved from across the cafeteria.

The nurse felt her cheeks go red as heads turned to her direction and to the man who shouted. She quickly made her way to the table, carrying her lunch tray on one hand and covering her face with the other.

"Fujikawa-sensei, your voice is too loud!"

"Sorry, sorry! I just got a little excited when I saw you," Fujikawa sheepishly grins. "Let's eat!"

Saejima starts digging in as Fujikawa keeps on talking.

"Who would've thought that my seminar would be in the hospital you're working at?"

"I was surprised when you messaged me this morning."

"Oh yeah! I wasn't sure if I remembered the name of the hospital correctly so I sent you a LINE message to confirm. But it's good, right? We were finally able to have lunch out together."

"Eh? So you mean…this is the "meal" you promised me?" Saejima sounded dejected.

"What are you talking about?! Of course not! There's no way I'm gonna repay you with a cafeteria meal!"

Saejima blushed at the statement. _At least he's putting more effort on it than I thought._

The lunch went on with a friendly atmosphere. Saejima asked about his seminar and Fujikawa asked her about her morning shift. The exchange seemed to be going well until Fujikawa complimented Saejima's medical knowledge after she shared some insights on his seminar.

"You know, for a nurse, you're really smart! I mean, you sound almost like a doctor. That's really impressive."

She froze at the comment, as if remembering some unpleasant memories.

"Is that so?" she asked as if the words were forced out of her mouth.

"Yeah! I would think someone like you would have suited med school better than me," Fujikawa said in a joking manner but apparently, the nurse didn't take it the same way.

Saejima put down her chopsticks a little more louder than necessary, which startled Fujikawa and some other hospital staff eating from the table beside theirs.

"Excuse me, Fujikawa-sensei. This nurse has to go. Lunch time is over."

 _Eh? What is it? Did I say something wrong?_

* * *

Later that night, Fujikawa had a talk with Hiyama.

"Hey there LINE buddy," he started, as he plopped himself on one bean bag.

"Will you stop calling me that? I told you I'm LINE buddies with everyone in the house, not only you."

"I know, but I bet you don't really message each other as often as we do."

 _That's actually true._ Hiyama thought, but she wouldn't admit it and give Fujikawa more reasons to brag about it.

"What is it this time? Any progress you wanna report?" she asked. Being LINE "buddies", Fujikawa confided to Hiyama about a budding interest to Saejima, and she has been helping him out by giving him some tips on getting the latter's attention.

"About that, I finally had lunch with her today."  
"Oh! Where did you go?"

"Uh, it was just in their hospital's cafeteria. I had a seminar there today, remember? I sent you a photo right? Did you even check it?"

"Ah, haha, right…sorry it slipped my mind." _Sorry dude. I just opened your message but I haven't actually seen the photo._ "That's good then. You're one step ahead. Congrats."

"Well, that's the problem. That's why I came to you today."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't exactly know how or why but I 'might' have made her angry."

"EH?! What do you mean you made her angry? What on earth did you do?"

"I told you I don't know. I'm not even sure if she's _REALLY_ mad but let's just say the lunch didn't end well."

Then he started to narrate the events in the cafeteria starting from when he called her over until she seemingly _walked out_ on him.

"Heh, I see," was Hiyama's only comment.

"That's it?! 'I see.'? Aren't you supposed to give me some solution here?" Fujikawa now sounded desperate and Hiyama can't help but stifle a laugh at the sight.

"Listen here _buddy,_ now THIS I can't help you with. If you want to know how she really felt and why she felt that way, it's better to get answers from her. It's a personal matter after all. I admit I like meddling with other's business, but I, too, know my limits. So for now, the best words I could tell you is: Good luck!"

"Are you serious?! What should I do now?"

"Well, for now, how about that promised dine out?"

"You think she'd still talk to me?"

"Believe me. Saejima is not as scary as you think," Hiyama said with a wide smile and bid good night.

* * *

It's been a couple of nights since Aizawa's apology. Shiraishi wanted to commend him for his effort and his courage but she hasn't had the chance to see him, much less to speak to him, since then. The Lifesaving Department has been understaffed recently because a senior doctor took a paternity leave, and an intern called in sick yesterday. Being the kind and selfless staff leader that she is, she volunteered to take a 16-hour shift in their stead. Good thing she's on night duty the next day so she could catch up on her sleep tonight. But before that, she noticed that some of her laundry has started piling up so she decided to wash them first before hitting the sack.

Apparently, aside from sleep, there's one more thing (or person) she'd be catching up on tonight. When she got to the laundry area, she found Aizawa standing in front of the machine, with his brows knitted together, arms crossed, and his back slightly leaning forward. _I wonder if that's how he looks like when he's concentrating during surgeries._ She quickly dismissed the thought because it seemed to her that thinking about him dressed in scrubs instead of casual or house clothes, is doing _something_ to her insides. She scolded herself internally.

"Does the machine have a tumor you can't quite find, Aizawa-sensei?" she jokingly started, after she composed herself.

At the sound of her voice, Aizawa stood up straighter and dropped his arms to his sides. He cleared his throat and not knowing how to react, he said simply, "Good work today."

Shiraishi chuckled. As she was loading her clothes in the washing machine, she noticed how the other machine is not turned on and that there's a bunch of clothes by the floor – Aizawa's clothes. Putting the puzzle pieces together, she finally understood the meaning behind Aizawa's oh-so-serious face.

Without asking, she started showing how the machine worked, pushing buttons on Aizawa's machine. Speechless, and probably embarrassed, Aizawa took a step back to give room for Shiraishi. He was listening intently on her instructions, taking notes mentally, that he didn't notice she was already getting ready to pick up his laundry. Just as she was about to touch his clothes, his eyes darted to her direction and his reflexes kicked in, stopping her just before she laid her hands on them.

It happened so quickly but time seemed to slow down in the dimly lit laundry area.

He grabbed her hands.

She jolted from the abruptness of the action.

A small squeal escaped her mouth.

Their eyes met for a moment and then there was an inexplicable tension in the air.

The _moment_ ended when Aizawa realized that he was grabbing, no, _holding,_ Shiraishi's hand. His intention was to swat it away to prevent her from touching his dirty clothes but somehow, he ended up holding it instead. _What was she thinking? How could she dare touch a man's dirty laundry so casually?_

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's an old habit. I used to do the laundry when I lived with my parents. I didn't realize I…" she trailed off. _Stupid, Megumi! Quit blabbering. He just did that to stop you from touching his clothes. Why would you even touch his clothes?! Uggghhh._

"It's nothing." _I see. Damn it, Kousaku. Get a hold of yourself. You're starting to think crazy stuff. Stop it. This is not like you._

"Anyway, if there's something you don't know, you should ask. If I didn't come here, how would you have done your laundry?" she gives him a small smile. "Don't be shy to ask us. We're friends now, remember?" _Now that's better. Lighten up the mood. Change the topic. Let's move on and forget what just happened. Forget how his gentle hands felt on your- STOP! For crying out loud Megumi!_

"Thanks." _See? She just shrugged it off. If she can do it, so can you. It was nothing but an innocent, accidental contact. Kousaku! Stop. Stealing. Glances. Goodness!_

"Well, this could take a while. I'll go get some iced coffee first. Would you like some too?"

"Yeah. Sure."

When Shiraishi left, Aizawa let out a breath he didn't notice he had been holding. He's not sure if there's something wrong with _him_ or with _her._ He's probably just reading too much into it, because clearly, the woman in question dismissed it _just like that_.

Or so he thought.

It took Shiraishi all her might to walk out of that space. She'd been rummaging her head for an excuse to leave ever since that _small incident._ She thought she'd be stuck there until the laundry finishes spinning but she had a light bulb moment and used coffee as a reason to be away from Aizawa fror a while. After all, how could she stay in that narrow area alone with him and keep herself calm. Of course she couldn't! Not after these crazy thoughts started running in her head and her heart beat so fast she thought it might be possible to have a cardiac arrest in such a moment. Unfortunately, ( _or fortunately maybe),_ she needs to go back in there because 1.) her laundry is still there and 2.) she offered t make coffee for Aizawa as well. Now she's questioning herself if coffee was a _really_ a good idea.

When she got back to the laundry area, Aizawa was sitting by the small elevated part of the floor, the same level with the sliding door.

"Here you go," Shiraishi said, handing him his glass of iced coffee. "I hope the taste suits you. I'm not sure how you like your coffee."

He took a sip, thanked her and said the taste was just right.

"I'm glad to hear that," was the last sentence she was able to say because the next words that came out of Aizawa rendered her speechless.

"Shiraishi, would you like to go on a date?"

* * *

A/N: Aaaaand booooooom! Haha! Are your ships sailing yet? XD Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did while writing it.

Also, you may think that last sentence of Aizawa is a little OOC but...I'll just keep you guessing for now *wink*

As usual, comments/suggestions/violent reactions (hopefully none?) are welcome!

'Til next upload!


	5. Chapter 5: Lost and Found

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Blue and Terrace House.

 **Note:** This chapter is mainly Shiraizawa and Fujisae. So, buckle up, and enjoy this update ^^

* * *

 **CHAPTER 5 – LOST AND FOUND**

To say that Shiraishi was shocked would be an understatement. _"Shiraishi, would you like to go on a date?"_ is what he heard him say but could it be that her ears were just playing tricks on her? It was too sudden and too out of character for Aizawa to say. There were lots of things she wanted to ask in response but the question thrown might have caused her to lose her ability to speak. She frantically searched her honor-student brain for the right words but at that moment, words have failed her.

A moment has passed and sensing the uneasiness from the other person, Aizawa broke the tension.

"It's Fujikawa," he started. "He asked Saejima out and they're supposed to be going on a date this coming weekend. But due to some circumstances, he insists that he can't be alone with her. So he asked me to be their third wheel," he paused and sighed. "I thought I won't be much of a help, or might be a nuisance rather, if I join them. I was planning on rejecting him but now I realized that if I bring another person, it might not be so bad."

"A-ahh! So-so that's what happened…" Shiraishi forced a chuckle. _Of course there's gotta be a reason, Megumi. What else were you thinking?_ "If that's the case then I'd be happy to help. I don't know much about Fujikawa-sensei but based on what I've observed so far, he's a fairly nice guy." And also, she thought Saejima-san would look good with Fujikawa-sensei, but she didn't say that out loud. She didn't want to seem too enthusiastic in this 'pairing' thing.

"That's settled then. I'll tell Fujikawa you're coming along," he took a sip of his now-iced-diluted coffee. "Thanks. I owe you one."

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Aizawa hates feeling indebted, and he was about to say something about repaying her in some way when the machine on the right started to sound, signalling Shiraishi's finished laundry. She put down her glass, stood up and approached the machine to gather her clothes. She wondered out loud why Fujikawa didn't want to be alone with Saejima, but since Aizawa didn't know the details, he just gave an uninterested "Who knows…" as a reply. After putting the clothes in her basket, she bid Aizawa good night and went upstairs.

The neurosurgeon felt that there were too much left unsaid, at least on his part, and now he found himself looking forward to the weekend more than before.

* * *

"Is this alright?" Saejima asked as she twirled around for Hiyama and Shiraishi. She was wearing a knee length, cream-colored sleeveless dress. It 's an A-line cut dress, buttoned from the waist up to the small collars. She had her hair in a bun with a bit of loose curls on the sides.

"Ah! You look great!"

"Nothing beats dresses for a first date," Hiyama gave a thumbs-up.

"Really? Ah, I'm relieved. It's been a while since…since I last went on a date. I'm afraid I lost my fashion senses already."

"That's nonsense. I think you will look pretty whatever you wear," Shiraishi complimented.

"You're one to talk, Shiraishi," Hiyama eyed her from head to toe. "If I were a guy, I'd probably fall in love at first sight!"

"S-stop it! I told you this is not my style."

"And we've told you this isn't 'first date' style either but you wouldn't wear my freaking dress and now THIS is our best option," Hiyama sounding like we've-had-this-argument-before.

Shiraishi was wearing a white long-sleeved loose blouse, with its sleeves rolled up to the elbow. It's tucked in a black wide-legged shorts, accented with a thin black shiny belt. Compared to Saejima's this was a lot less 'date look' as her roommates referred to, but she'd much rather wear this than Hiyama's initial suggestion, which was to lend her a dress. She agreed to it at first but after fitting the said dress, she realized their difference in height, as the dress only reached half of her thighs. It was an acceptable length according to her persuasive roommates' standards but not for her. After so much debate, she gave in to this blouse-shorts pairing, which was still a little uncomfortable for her, given that the length of the shorts is not much different from Hiyama's dress.

"Yes, ma'am. Got it," Shiraishi answered in defeat.

"Hey Saejima, don't forget this," Hiyama reached out for a Panama hat with a purple bow accent and put it on Saejima, completing her summer date look. "Ahh is this how my mom felt when she sent me off to med school?", she put a hand over her heart and made a pretend-cry face.

"Don't be so down, Hiyama. We'll send you photos," Shiraishi said and with that, she left the room with Saejima to meet their dates upstairs.

"Have fun girls! See you tonight! Hey, you better come home tonight okay?!" but the door already closed at her last sentence, leaving Hiyama grinning by herself.

* * *

Fujikawa was thankful he already finished his glass of water when the girls came up, or else he might have choked because the sight of the girls in their date outfits was just a little too much for his brain to process. He had always seen Shiraishi either in slacks or tracksuit bottoms so this look is completely foreign to him. But seeing Saejima in a dress is enough to overpower whatever amazement he had for Shiraishi's look. His eyes literally twinkled when he saw his date and he started stuttering on his compliments about their looks. _Thank goodness I asked Shinkai for some fashion advice._ Following his roommate's tips, he wore a navy blue polo shirt with small dotted prints, paired with khaki pants. At least he won't embarrass his date with his outfit.

"Aizawa is waiting for us in the garage," he finally gathered himself. "Shall we go now?"

He picked up the picnic basket from the floor and lead the way, with the two ladies following him.

* * *

Aizawa told Fujikawa he'd be waiting by the garage. It's his first time to drive the cars provided by the program so he wanted to check the condition of the vehicles first. Wearing a simple white t-shirt with metallic crisscrossing lines and a gray hoodie with rolled up sleeves, paired with jeans, he checked the water, air, gas, brakes, and even drove around the block once to get the 'feel' of the car.

When he got back to the house, he decided to make one last inspection of the vehicle. He was only halfway going to the back part of the car when he heard Fujikawa announcing their arrival.

"Hey Aizawa! We're ready to go!" he shouted, trying to locate Aizawa who was hidden by the SUV.

"O. I'm here," he shouted over the back of the car, carefully checking the tires. "I'm good to…go."

He almost stuttered on the last word when he lifted his eyes off the ground and saw Shiraishi standing before him. He had expected her to dress up but _this_ look was beyond his imagination. Being the conservative that she is, he imagined she'd be wearing a long summer dress of some sort so the shorts caught him off guard. He had always seen Hiyama and Saejima being comfortable wearing house clothes that show some skin when they're lounging in the house so he wondered where this slight warmth on his cheeks when he saw Shiraishi was coming from. Trying to hide his reaction, he turned his back, went around the vehicle again, and reached the drivers' side.

"Aizawa, you know the place already, right?", Fujikawa asked while walking towards the other car parked in the garage.

"Aa."

"Great! We'll meet you there then."

 _Eh? Wait a minute. What's going on?_ Shiraishi was confused. She agreed on being the "4th wheel" on this date, right? But now they're using different cars?

"Wait. We're going on separate cars?", Saejima echoed her thoughts.

Aizawa just gave her a look as if saying "Ask him. It's his idea." Then he went into the drivers' seat and closed his door.

Shiraishi, now more flustered than ever, followed suit.

* * *

Fujikawa drove off with the sedan first, and Aizawa followed. Then he started entering the coordinates of their destination into the navigation system.

"Kamakura?" Shiraishi read from the navigation's screen. "I haven't been there for so long."

"When was the last time you went there?"

"Hmm, I think before I entered med school. I went there with some friends from high school for a farewell trip. Ahh, it brings back memories."

A few minutes on the highway have passed in awkward silence.

Aizawa was trying hard to concentrate on the road and not lose sight of Fujikawa, because although there's the help of the navigation system, they'll be passing by Yokohama, where the roads can be a little confusing if you're not used to the place and he wouldn't want to waste time on getting lost. But Shiraishi's constant fiddling ( _or pulling?_ he thought) of her shorts is definitely distracting him. He can't seem to shake off the image of Shiraishi and her milky long legs from earlier. He wanted to say something to her about her choice of clothes for today but he's worried it might offend her. So instead he chose the simplest way of acknowledging her efforts for dressing up.

"You look nice today."

"Huh? Oh, uh, uhmm thanks…"Shiraishi also seemed out of it. "You too, Aizawa-sensei." _So he likes this kind of outfit on girls…_

Silence. Again. Somehow, they can't seem to keep a decent conversation going today, which is weird, given that they've talked comfortably about a lot of things before.

They are now in the middle of the expressway. Aizawa, wanting to dispel the awkward air between them, reached out for the radio. Incidentally, Shiraishi had the same idea, so they reached out at the same time. Startled, Shiraishi withdrew her hand and accidentally touched the screen of the navigation system, erasing the details of their destination. "AH!" They exclaimed in unison.

* * *

They've been driving on the expressway for about 15 minutes now. Fujikawa was glad that he can have their usual relaxed conversation back, but he feels like the air between them hasn't been completely cleared yet since that lunch in Saejima's workplace. He thought about addressing the elephant in the room but he chickens out every time he tried to bring it up. He asked ( _begged_ , rather) Aizawa to go to Kamakura in separate cars so he could have some time alone with Saejima, knowing it's highly probable that Shiraishi and Saejima would stick together most of the time once they reached their destination. He had hoped to solve whatever conflict there was on this alone-time, but having a friendly exchange with her now, he just thought it might ruin the good atmosphere so he decided to save the talk for later.

They were almost approaching Yokohama when Saejima noticed something was wrong.

"Uhh, Fujikawa-sensei, is it just me or have Aizawa-sensei's car stopped following us for a while now?" she said while looking back.

"Eh?", Fujikawa checked through the rear view mirror. True enough; the bright yellow Toyota FJ Cruiser that Aizawa has been driving was not in sight. This is what he's been worried about. Yokohama's streets were known to be a little difficult to drive around if you're not familiar with the area. He warned Aizawa to stay close to him, and he made sure not to speed up too much so he could follow. _What is that guy doing? Don't tell me he got lost. That's impossible! I even gave him instructions for the navigation system…_

"Hey, Saejima. Can you give Shiraishi a call? Although it's highly unlikely, they might have gotten lost."

Saejima complied and gave her a call. "That's strange. She's not answering."

"Can you try Aizawa?"

"I don't have his number."

"Crap. Me too."

They were almost at their destination, but the bright yellow SUV was yet to be found.

* * *

Aizawa has done countless surgeries flawlessly. He had never made a wrong diagnosis on his patients.

That being said, this might just be the biggest mistake he had ever made. He was driving on the rightmost lane on the expressway, when the data from the navigation system got erased. Unknowingly, he had continued driving on that direction and before he realized it, Fujikawa's light blue Nissan Note was nowhere in sight anymore. After exiting the expressway, he pulled over and put their destination into the navigation system again, only to get the most shocking news of the day. He was not supposed to take the rightmost lane because that would lead them to an exit, and that would not lead them to Yokohama or Kamakura.

At this point, he weighed his options. One is to take the longer route, which would take more or less an hour, and get back to the expressway leading to Kamakura. If he chooses this option, they would reach Kamakura way past lunch time, and their role as the 3rd/4th wheels would have been useless at that point (since Fujikawa wanted to have the picnic lunch _with_ them). The second option is to stay on their current route and get completely separated from Saejima and Fujikawa. According to the navigation, in 15 minutes, they'd be reaching the beautiful coast of Enoshima.

Either way, one thing is for sure: They would not be of any help to Fujikawa now. After much consideration of the pros and cons, he decided to do what would make this drive worthwhile.

"Shiraishi," he said with a hint of seriousness in his voice. "Can you call Saejima? We're not following them anymore." He didn't want to bother Shiraishi with the details yet so his statement was vague.

"Sure. What should I tell her?" she asked while rummaging through her things.

"Tell her we won't meet them at Kamakura anymore."

"Eh? What do you mean?" confused, she looked up to him.

"I mean…" _We got lost_ was what he wanted to say, but knowing Shiraishi, she'd be blaming herself for this mishap even if it's not entirely her fault, and not wanting that, Aizawa simply said, "We're going on our own date." With that, he got back on the highway and drove off to Enoshima.

* * *

Fujikawa and Saejima have reached Kamakura. As soon as they arrived at Inamuragasaki Park, Fujikawa started to set up the picnic mat and basket, and Saejima took out their lunchboxes. They sat down and chatted while they ate.

"I wonder what happened to those two?" Fujikawa wondered aloud.

"Who knows. Shiraishi isn't answering my calls and she's not calling me either. Aizawa probably doesn't have our contact numbers," Saejima handed Fujikawa his chopsticks. "But I'm sure they'll be fine. They're grown adults and wherever they might've ended up, it'll still be somewhere in Japan. So I don't really see the need to worry."

"You're right," Fujikawa gave a little laugh. "You know, you're so admirable like that. You always remain calm and cool. It's as if you never panic. When I'm with you, I feel at ease. Like your coolness rubs off on me."

Saejima blushed at the compliment. "What are you talking about? You just haven't seen me get flustered or mad, that's why you can say that."

"Oh but I've seen you lose your cool. Remember the other da-" _Ah. Crap._ "Ah no…that's not what I meant…"

"About that…" Saejima interrupted. "I want to apologize to you, Fujikawa-sensei."

 _Eh? Apologize? I thought I was the one who did something wrong?_

Saejima took a bite of her egg sushi, drank some water and said, "I overreacted. I'm sorry." She paused to sigh and take a deep breath. "You said something about med school then, right? Well, you see, I came from a family of successful doctors. That's why after high school, I aimed for med school. My brother, who was then a med student, found me a tutor, his friend, to help me get into med school." She put down her half-finished lunchbox and looked in the distance. "That tutor and I became friends. Really good friends. Well in the end, I failed the entrance exam and that's how I got into nursing instead. That time, I felt really down. But this tutor cheered me up and supported me when I was in nursing school. With that, we grew even closer and eventually…he became my boyfriend."

At the mention of the word 'boyfriend', Fujikawa's attention had increased ten, no, hundredfold.

"We worked in the same hospital and had the best days together. We've been dating for 3 years…" Saejima continued "when he was diagnosed with ALS. At first, it was too much to bear. I saw how painful it was for him, from being one of the best cardiologists in the hospital to being forced to quit because he couldn't even hold a pen anymore. Things even got harder to watch when he got tied up to his wheelchair. There was even a time when we broke up because I got tired of everything. Thinking how he only had a couple of years to live was just too much for me to bear that time." Tears welled in her eyes and Saejima tried her best hold them back. "But in the end, I just love him too much that I realized those few years left could be our only precious time left together, so I decided to get back with him. After more than a year, his body finally gave up." By now, the tears had started to fall uncontrollably.

Fujikawa now understood. Saejima didn't exactly say it but he understood. His statement about med school brought back sad memories. Somehow, even though Saejima apologized for overreacting, he felt that he should be the one saying sorry instead. In fact, he felt even guiltier than before. He didn't know what to say or what to do. Saejima is crying and she just shared a very personal story. Should he apologize? Say comforting words? Let her share more stories about the guy and reminisce their good times? Pretend as if her story was nothing serious? He was so lost, it reminded him of his incapable intern self.

Thankfully, Saejima has calmed down and started speaking up again. "Do you know why I joined this program?"

Fujikawa shook his head.

"It's been 7 years. 7 years without him. It's been so long…and yet…I still can't get over him. I don't know how to start or what to do. I tried busying myself with work, but it was never a distraction. Instead, the hospital brought back our memories there together. I was hoping this program would help me find the answer."

With newfound determination, Fujikawa boldly asked, "Then Saejima-san, would you let me help you?"

"We'll see," Saejima replied with a smile.

* * *

Of all things Shiraishi could've left, she just had to forget to bring her phone. She had already emptied her purse 3 times but her smart phone really wasn't there.

 _How could this be happening right now?_ She left her phone. They got separated from Fujikawa and Saejima and there's no way to contact them because Aizawa doesn't have neither of their contact numbers. They're now on the way to Enoshima, not Kamakura. And most of all, they won't be 3rd-4th-wheeling anymore, but instead they're heading on their own _DATE?_

The rest of the drive to Enoshima continued in silence. They reached their destination by noontime and Aizawa parked the car in one of the designated open parking areas. The first time they spoke again was when they decided what to eat for lunch. They agreed to just survey the area for their choices first, so when they got off the car, they headed to the side of the road where a few local restaurants were located.

Shirasihi was walking ahead, so inevitably, Aizawa noticed the discomfort on the way she walked. It seemed that the length of her outfit really was bothering her, as she kept on tugging at it. It was not helping that she had gained a few not-so-innocent looks from a few men who passed them by. He wasn't sure she noticed because she's been walking with her head low, but he definitely noticed the lingering stares.

 _That's it._ Aizawa groaned, took off his gray hoodie, and called Shiraishi's attention.

"Hey," he almost-shouted with some authoritative voice. She looked back. "Here," he said as he handed her the hoodie.

"Eh? Wha-why?"

"Tsk," without saying anything, he reached out to her waist and tied the sleeves of the hoodie around her.

Shiraishi was beyond flustered. He was too close she could smell his shampoo, and she was sure he could hear her heartbeat. _Too close!_ "A-ah, it's okay, Aizawa-sensei," she tried to protest but he had already finished tying it.

Without looking at her or uttering another word, he started to walk away. She caught up to him and tried to return the hoodie to him but Aizawa wouldn't even look her way. "It's too hot here so I don't need it anyway," he said.

 _Why would you even wear a hoodie in summer?_ Shiraishi thought.

"Why would you even wear something you're not comfortable with?" Aizawa questioned with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Well, that's…it's not really my choice. Hiyama and Saejima forced me to wear this. When they saw my wardrobe, they insisted that they would style me and even offered to lend me their clothes. Apparently, there were very few date-worthy clothes in my closet. AH! I'm not saying that this IS a date or anything, well now it is, but you know, I mean that time-"

"You shouldn't let other people decide for you. Are their standards more important than yours? Does dressing up the way that's acceptable for them make them right and you wrong? You have your own decisions. If you're not comfortable with it, then don't force yourself to. You're fine the way you are, got it?" Aizawa said as he turned to her.

"Y-yes," she nodded.

Was she being scolded? It certainly felt so. She remembered how her father sat her down and lectured her that time she didn't say she wasn't feeling well because if they knew, they wouldn't allow her to go to school and she couldn't afford to do so because there were upcoming tests the following week. Remembering how it felt back then, she wondered what had gotten into Aizawa. _Why is he so affected by this matter? It's not like I asked him to lend me his hoodie._

Aizawa let out a sigh. "What do you think of this place?" he asked, referring to the restaurant they were in front of.

"Mm, it's okay with me."

They sat by the al fresco dining area and ate their meals in silence, admiring the scenery of the coastal area in front of them.

* * *

One of the popular summer destinations in Kamakura was the Seaside Park in Yuigahama Beach. It's not exactly what you would call 'beautiful' nor is it picture perfect, but it offers quite an ambience if you're after the serenity and calmness that the waves bring in.

Saejima and Fujikawa walked along the gray sand beach. After the emotional lunch, they were able to have a more relaxed talk about more random topics. Fujikawa talked about his hometown and Saejima shared some interesting stories from her high school days. They had a few hearty laughs and their conversations now seemed more at ease. From the park, they strolled around the area and checked a few shops along the coast, leading them to the beach in time for the sunset.

"Look! It's Mount Fuji!" Saejima exclaimed.

"Woah! It really looks majestic…" Fujikawa said in awe of the breathtaking view before his eyes.

"That's Enoshima over there, right?" she asked.

"Yeah. Do you see that tower? That's a famous spot in Enoshima. It's called the Sea Candle."

"Heh. Unexpectedly, you know quite a lot about geography, Fujikawa-sensei."

"Well, I just like travelling when I have time. If you'd like, I'll take you to Enoshima next time."

"Oh yeah? I'd love to go!"

"On one condition."

"Shoot."

"Can I call you Haruka from now on?"

Saejima was a little hesitant at first. Even the girls haven't started calling her by her first name yet, despite the fact that they've had a few heart-to-heart talks and a few drinking sessions already. But looking back on everything that happened between them today, something in her felt that if it's Fujikawa, she wouldn't mind being called 'Haruka'.

"It's a deal," she reached out for a handshake. "But I won't call you by your first name, okay?!"

Fujikawa flashed her his widest smile and took her hand.

"You can't take it back now!" Then they both chuckled.

Looking back at the sea, Saejima spread out her arms and breathed deeply.

"I haven't seen such a beautiful sunset in a while," Saejima commented, taking in the view in front of her eyes.

"Me too," Fujikawa agreed, not looking at the horizon, but at the beautiful lady beside him.

* * *

After lunch, Shiraishi and Aizawa walked along Shonan Beach. As expected, the place was a little crowded, given that it's a weekend on summer. They haven't talked much aside from the superficial comments about the view, the crowd and the weather. As the stroll continued in silence, Shiraishi realized something she hasn't said yet.

"Um, thank you," she said looking at his direction, trying to read his expression.

"For what?"

"For this…" she held out one of the dangling sleeves of his hoodie, still tied to her.

"It's nothing."

"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable," she figured he might have given her that 'lecture' earlier because he was uncomfortable when a person of the opposite sex is showing too much skin.

"It's not- Never mind. " Aizawa let out an exasperated sigh. "Anyway, I should be the one to apologize. It's my fault that we got separated from those two."

"No, it's partly my fault, too. If I didn't accidentally erase the data from the navigation, this wouldn't have happened. Let's just say we're both to blame," she said with a shy smile.

Aizawa knew that he'll never win if he insisted otherwise so he just let the subject drop and continued to walk.

Soon after, they felt the effect of the scorching sun so they decided to get some refreshments. They chose to take shelter in a small fruit shake stall by the road. As the old lady by the counter handed out their drinks, Aizawa inquired for nearby tourist spots in the area.

"Ah there is one. You see that lighthouse over there? That's called the Enoshima Sea Candle. It has an observation deck on top and from there, you can see Mount Fuji and a part of Kamakura on the other side. If you go there now, you'll be just in time for sunset. That view is quite popular for couples like you," the grandmother enthusiastically shared.

Shiraishi almost choked at the word 'couple', while Aizawa remained poker face as usual.

"Thank you, granny," he politely said. "But we're not a couple," he added, considering his companion's reaction at the word. He thought he'd make the mood between them awkward again if he doesn't clear up the misunderstanding of the old lady.

"Oh sorry about that! You looked like a couple on a date so I assumed you must be together."

Just as they were leaving, the old lady called out to Aizawa.

"Hey young man. You know, that lighthouse is also ideal for confessions," she said with a wink, obviously hinting for Aizawa to do _just that_.

He just gave a curt nod and left the shop.

Following the old lady's advice, Shiraishi and Aizawa decided to head over the lighthouse. They naturally avoided commenting on the 'couple' remark and opted to talk about random topics, which are mostly medical related. They've shared a fair amount of anecdotes and before they knew it, they've already reached the end of Enoshima Bridge.

After getting their tickets for the observation tower, they both agreed to use the circular staircase to reach the top instead of taking the outdoor escalators. This way, they had a panoramic view of the surrounding places like the Izu Peninsula, Mount Fuji, the mountains in Hakone, and at one point, Shiraishi even pointed out the Landmark Tower in Yokohama. She was genuinely enjoying the view and it somehow made Aizawa glad that they decided to go there.

All that tiring climb was worth it when they finally reached the top. No words would suffice the description of the spectacular view that welcomed them. The gentle wind that blew and the breathtaking beauty of the island seemed to take away all the stress they've had from their hectic shifts at the hospital. They felt their spirits and motivations renewed as they embraced the scenery. They approached the railing and watched in silence as the sun slowly set on the horizon.

As the last light from the sun was seen, Shiraishi spoke in a hushed tone, "I'm glad I was able to share this sunset with you, Aizawa-sensei."

* * *

 **A/N:** _Phew!_ This has been the longest chapter I've uploaded so far. I wanted to give some focus on other couples aside from A/S so I hope you enjoyed the Fujisae parts as well ^^ The geographic info on this chapter is not accurate (although the places are real) so please let it pass (m_m) In reality, Kamakura and Enoshima are along the same coastline and only about 10-20 minutes drive away from each other ^^;; So just think of it as Aizawa's excuse to be alone with Shiraishi, alright? *wink wink*

One more thing, please allow me to thank everyone who's been reviewing this story. I'm sorry if I couldn't reply all the time but please know that I read _everything_ and I am beyond grateful for your kind words. It really warms my heart to see encouragement from you guys 3

As usual, I always appreciate comments and suggestions so please do send them if you have any ^^

That's it for now. Please look forward to the next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6: Take the Plunge

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Blue and Terrace House.

We have a complete cast for this chapter! Yey! Enjoy! ^^

* * *

 **CHAPTER 6 – TAKE THE PLUNGE**

It was a typical Tokyo night. Salary men and office ladies making their way in and out of the subways and train stations, some are eager to go home and take a long, relaxing hot bath, others are on their way to meet a few friends over some drinks to cap the night.

Hiyama usually belonged to the former, but tonight is different. As soon as the last of her patients left, she clocked out and made her way to Shibuya, where she will be meeting another doctor. Her housemates are out on a double date today so she figured it wouldn't hurt to have a date tonight herself.

She saw him standing by a light post a few meters away, busying himself with his smart phone. He was wearing a simple plaid shirt and faded jeans. He looked at her direction and spotted her from the crowd. She looked good in a long flowing skirt paired with a turtleneck top. He waved at her and she acknowledged with a smile.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she greeted him.

"No problem, I didn't wait long," he answered. "Shall we?" he gestured at the sidewalk as he led the way.

They entered a bar about a hundred meters from the main street. Hiyama have looked it up on the internet this afternoon and it looked no less flashy in person than in the photos.

"Do you frequent this place, Shinkai-sensei?" her curiosity was piqued as she observed the interior of the bar and the customers sipping their cocktails.

"Not at all. It's my first time here. I asked my colleagues for recommendations and this place got a lot of nods," Shinkai explained as he settled on his chair.

"As expected from a pro. Very well prepared," she thought out loud.

Shinkai understood the implication in her words and gave a small chuckle. They ordered some starters as they got into small talk.

"I wonder how are those 4…" he said. "I haven't heard anything from Fujikawa."

"Mm, Saejima sent me photos. They seemed to be having fun," she showed him the photos from her phone so he leaned a little closer.

"Hmm nice photos! Ah, that's Mount Fuji? Haha! Look at Fujikawa!" he was scrolling the photos when he noticed something. "Eh wait a minute. Why isn't there a photo with Shiraishi and Aizawa?"

"OH! You haven't heard about it yet? Apparently, those two got lost and there's no way of reaching them. I noticed Shiraishi's phone on her bed this morning and looks like Aizawa doesn't have our contact numbers so he couldn't let us know where they were."

"Is that so?" Shinkai seemed to be thinking about something. "Aizawa should've called me then, so I could've informed Fujikawa."

"Huh? Aizawa knows your number?"

"Yeah. I know his email address, too. I would sometimes ask for his opinion on a certain procedure or share some interesting reads from an online medical journal. Things like that. We're both neurosurgeons after all."

"Heh. That's interesting. I didn't know he would exchange mails with you. You don't seem close with each other when I see you in the house."

"I think he's just that type of person. He's, what do you say, a little too guarded? He's hard to read, and he doesn't talk much either. He's quite the mysterious type," he took a sip of his drink. "But who knows? He might just be the biggest revelation in the house," he said with a smirk.

"Really? I think that's highly unlikely. He has a 'boring' aura, don't you think? Like you said, he doesn't talk a lot and I only see him reading medical files on his free time. I don't think his character is interesting at all. Good luck with him finding a girl in his life," Hiyama commented nonchalantly.

"Well if you put it that way, I don't see Shiraishi-sensei reading fashion magazines in free time either," he said in a challenging tone.

"Oh my gosh! You're right! If those two get together, how boring would their date be? WAIT," Hiyama paused as the realization kicks in. "They just spent the whole day together! I'm so curious how that went for them. I could imagine their conversations would all be about medical journals and patient treatment."

"Hmm I wonder about that…" Shinkai commented as he tilted his head. "I wouldn't be surprised if Aizawa will actually make a move on Shiraishi-sensei, you know?"

Hiyama almost spat out her drink, "What are you saying?! Are we talking about the same Aizawa here?" she laughed out loud.

"Like we said, he's hard to read, he doesn't share much, so we'll never really know what he thinks."

"And on what basis do you think he _WILL_ make a move on Shiraishi, specifically?" Hiyama now more interested at the thought that her friend _may_ be the apple of the eye of the 'boring' neurosurgeon.

"Well, let's just say…it's a neurosurgeon's intuition," he gave a knowing smile.

* * *

As the streetlights started lighting up, Shiraishi and Aizawa were already preparing to go home. On the way back to the car, Shiraishi was reminded of how unfortunate it is that she left her phone at home.

"I feel bad that I don't have my phone with me today. I couldn't take photos of the beautiful scenery. Ahh, I even promised Hiyama I'll send her pictures…" she said, regret evident in her tone.

Aizawa, a little hesitant, spoke up, "I took some pictures with my phone. If you want, I could send them to you."

"Oh you did? I didn't notice it at all. I'd gladly take the offer."

"Aa," he cleared his throat. "So, uhh, can I get your contact details?"

"Oh, right!"

Aizawa handed his phone and Shiraishi input her email and mobile number.

"Thanks, Aizawa-sensei."

Shiraishi was about to open the door to the passenger side when she heard Aizawa mumble something from the driver's side.

"Eh? What was it?" she leaned over the car's hood.

"I said 'Aizawa' is fine."

It took her a few seconds before she understood what he meant and by that time, Aizawa was already starting the car's engine.

A few minutes on the road and Shiraishi already felt her eyes getting heavy. The half a day of walking around on a hot summer afternoon was finally taking its toll on her. She leaned on the partly-opened window as she felt the warm summer wind and watched the lights. Not long after, she drifted to sleep.

"…But if you're not comfortable that way, you can continue calling me 'Aizawa-sensei'. Like I said, most of the members have dropped the honorific so I honestly don't mind it," _Did she hear me?_ Aizawa glanced at her, noticing that she hasn't said anything for a while now. He didn't think she could look even more peaceful and gentle as she usually is, but looking at her sleeping face now, he felt a warm sensation on his chest (or maybe even his cheeks). He questioned himself, quite unsure of what's causing this surge of emotions all of a sudden.

 _Maybe it's just too quiet._

He turned on the radio, but on a very minimal volume, not wanting to disturb his companion's sleep. He listened as an English song played on the radio and tried to concentrate on the road instead of his thoughts.

* * *

It's a quarter-past-eight in the evening.

Saejima and Fujikawa just finished their take-out dinner. On the way home from Kamakura, they decided to stop by a fast food restaurant and had to-go meals.

They were about to finish tidying up the dining area, when they heard voices coming from the main door downstairs.

"We're home," a woman's gentle voice said.

Saejima hurriedly went to welcome the owner of the voice.

"What happened to you two?! Where have you been?" the nurse questioned them immediately.

"Sorry, Saejima! We're really very sorry!" Shiraishi apologetically started before proceeding to narrate the whole story.

"Well, I'm just glad you're safe. I was really worried when you weren't answering my calls. Good thing Hiyama told me you left your phone at home. "

"On a positive note, it looks like you had a good time by yourselves, too huh?" Fujikawa noted, with a playful wiggle of his eyebrows.

Aizawa rolled his eyes while Shiraishi didn't respond, not thinking much about Fujikawa's statement.

"Speaking of Hiyama, where is she?" she asked.

"Oh, that…" Fujikawa gestured toward the blackboard beside the PC. The board contains their schedules, and that is where they would usually leave notes like who's in charge of dinner or grocery shopping, etc. Tonight, the note written says, " ** _Will be out for a drink tonight~ Hiyama/Shinkai_** " .

"Heh…so she also has plans tonight," Shiraishi thought out loud, with a hint of giggle in her voice.

"Have you had dinner yet?" Fujikawa asked, noting that they just finished their take-out food.

"Yeah, we went on a drive-thru on the way here," Aizawa answered on their behalf.

"Alright. Would you like a drink then?" Fujikawa offered.

"Sure," he said, feeling like a can of beer would be the perfect way to end the day's events.

"How about you girls?"

"Ah thanks! Please bring some for us too!" Saejima requested as the boys made their way to the kitchen to fetch the drinks.

The girls were happily sharing how their dates went when Hiyama and Shinkai arrived.

"Look who's home from their dates!" Hiyama energetically greeted them as she made her way to the sofa. She slumped beside Shiraishi and leaned towards her. "You~! Soooo, how was YOUR date?!" she teasingly asked.

"Are you drunk?" Shiraishi said while giggling at her friend who was already a hint of red on her face, indicating she had quite a few drinks.

"Don't try to evade my question, Shiraishi," she sat up straighter. "And yes, I'm a little drunk. Just. A. Little," she said with emphasis. "So, back to my question. I've heard about Saejima's date through our LINE conversations. You, on the other hand, went MIA with that stoic neurosurgeon. So tell me, my friend, how was it?"

"Hm. It was nice."

They waited for more words to come out from Shiraishi but when a few seconds passed and she didn't add anything, Hiyama couldn't help but groan.

"What?! That's it? That's all you have to say after spending the WHOLE day with Aizawa?" Hiyama let out a disappointed sigh. "Guess it was really boring after all."

"No, no! It's not like that. I really had fun. Really!" she defended quickly. "Aizawa was really nice and we really had fun. I'll show you photos when I get them from him."

"Heh. What's this? It's now 'Aizawa' without the sensei? I think there _IS_ some progress there. What do you say, Hiyama?"

"I was about to say that! You just beat me to it, Saejima! And what's this about getting photos from Aizawa? Did you exchange contact details now? Are you LINE friends now?" Hiyama continued with the teasing.

"So are you planning on having another date with him?" Saejima prodded her.

Shiraishi just gave a shrug.

At that moment, the boys were seen entering the living room, with Fujikawa and Aizawa holding a can of beer in each hand.

"Ah, speaking of the devil. Aizawa!" Hiyama called out on her semi-drunken state. "Shiraishi wants to know when your next date will be."

"HEY! I didn't say that!"

Aizawa looked at Shiraishi, who was quick to avoid his eyes.

"You can't make people do things they don't want to ," he said with a poker face, while handing Shiraishi her beer.

She reached for the can and gave a curt nod but said nothing else.

 _What's that supposed to mean?_ She wondered but didn't dare to verbalize.

The other 4 eyed each other and exchanged knowing looks, as if sending signals to change the mood, thanks to Aizawa and Shiraishi (and Hiyama's teasing, maybe?).

Shinkai took the initiative and cleared his throat. "So guys, since it's such a rare occasion for all of us to be gathered here today, might as well bring this up," he started. "Remember that meat I brought home a couple of weeks ago?"

"Oh yeah! That Kobe beef!" Hiyama exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, that one," he confirmed. "Well I figured, it's almost a month since we got together. We have a pool. We have meat. It's summer. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he grinned.

"AH! Pool party!?" Fujikawa guessed.

"High five!"

"That sounds perfect! We should start making preparations, especially with our schedules," Saejima noted.

"Now that you've mentioned it, I'll be away for a few days this week. I'm going to Hokkaido for a conference," Shinkai said.

"How many days will you be away?" Hiyama inquired.

"5 days. I'll be leaving in two days," Shinkai answered.

Fujikawa was already taking notes on the board. "I see. Will you be back by next Sunday then?"

Shinkai checked his smart phone. "Mm, I'll be back in the afternoon."

"Alright, it's settled then," Fujikawa said, still writing notes on the board. "Everyone, keep next Sunday open! We're having a pool party!"

"Hooray!"

"Barbecue!"

While the 4 members cheered loudly, Shiraishi could only give a half-hearted smile and Aizawa quietly finished his beer.

* * *

It's been five days but two people still had been noticeably sidestepping each other.

Shiraishi didn't know what to make of Aizawa's remark that night. Was it her fault? Maybe the way she denied asking about the next date sounded rude to Aizawa. _Did he think I didn't enjoy being with him so he thought I wouldn't want to go out with him again? Or was it actually him who didn't have fun that's why he wouldn't want to ask me out again?_ Either way, it wasn't something that she would like to discuss with Aizawa. She was more inclined to believe it was the latter; it's the most Aizawa-like reason after all. She felt her heart drop at the thought.

Aizawa, on the other hand, felt simply stupid. _What's there to get worked up on? If she doesn't want to have a 2_ _nd_ _"date", then that's that. She simply didn't like my company, probably, just like everyone else who's ever hang out with me. She found me boring, proving everybody right. So what? It wasn't like I had expectations._ He didn't want to bother her some more by discussing something so trivial, so he decided to just leave the matter at that. He had been conveniently avoiding her these past few days, so as not to become even more of a nuisance for her. He'd just go back to his usual distant self, uttering polite greetings when they had the slightest chances of bumping into each other in the house.

Five days quickly passed at the Terrace House when everybody looked forward to their first pool party in the house. Not to mention, it's also a celebration of their first month as housemates. The girls were tasked with all the prep, including grocery shopping, while the boys promised to take charge of the grilling duties and the cleanup after the party.

Hiyama, Saejima and Shiraishi have started bringing out the stuff by the pool area. While setting things up, the girls took the perfect chance to have a chat.

"Say, Shiraishi," Hiyama began talking. "Have you talked to Aizawa since then?"

"That's right. We haven't seen your photos yet, you know?" Saejima tried to lighten up the conversation.

"Well…not really," Shiraishi answered, not looking at either of them but keeping herself busy with setting the table. "Our schedules don't match this week so I didn't get the chance. Plus…it doesn't look like there's anything to talk about."

"What are saying?! It may be true that your schedules don't meet but a call or mail would've sufficed. You're obviously avoiding each other, so there's _obviously_ something to talk about," Hiyama lectured her friend.

"Look, he said it himself. I can't force him to do something he doesn't want to. There are only two possible reasons why he said that. One, he thought I didn't have fun with him in Enoshima. Two, _he_ didn't have fun with _me_. Among those choices, which one is more fitting of Aizawa's way of thinking? That's right. The 2nd one. He got annoyed when you mentioned a 2nd date, so wouldn't it annoy him even more if I bring it up to his face again? Let's just accept the fact that he didn't have fun, okay?" Shiraishi looked up at the two girls, who are now giving her pitiful looks.

"But how did you know that's what Aizawa really thinks if you haven't properly spoken to him yet? What if you're just misunderstanding each other?" Saejima gave her two cents on the matter.

Shiraishi just shrugged at the possibility. _As if._ She lets out a small forced laughter and took a few steps away, towards the plastic shopping bag and continued to grab some disposables and other stuff for the party. The other girls took it as a sign that she wants to drop the subject altogether and move on. _There's nothing wrong, guys. We're fine. I'm fine._

At the corner of her eye, Hiyama saw somebody going up the stairs. _Aizawa!_

While Shiraishi was looking away, Hiyama sent Saejima a signal and pointed towards Aizawa's direction.

"Uhh, I think I left something in the room. I'll just go and grab it," was her excuse.

"Sure, leave this to us," Saejima acknowledged by giving her a small nod.

Aizawa had almost reached the bottom of the stairs when he heard Hiyama call out his name in a loud whisper.

"Hey, can we talk?" she said with a serious tone.

"About what?"

"About you…and Shiraishi."

Aizawa gave her a questioning look. "What's there to talk about?"

"Seems like you haven't spoken to each other since last weekend, right? I already asked Shiraishi about her thoughts, so now I wanna know your side," Hiyama put up a hand in defense. "And before you start blurting things like it's none of my business, let me say this first. Shiraishi is my friend. Therefore, her problem is my problem. The girl's been sulking since then. Also, you are our housemate, and you may not consider us as one but we are also your friends. And as your _friends,_ we just want you to talk this thing out. I don't plan to tell you how she feels but I'm betting on my hunch that THIS is just a big misunderstanding on both sides. Are you planning to go on like this for the next 14 weeks? Do you want things to end up just like this?"

Aizawa looked her in the eyes. "Look-"

"You know what, Aizawa, on a second thought, whatever you have to say, say it to Shiraishi's face. You don't have to explain anything to me," Hiyama said while crossing her arms. "Gosh, why does it feel like we know you two more than you know yourselves?' she dramatically stated while shaking her head and ascending the stairs.

Aizawa entered the bedroom. He had planned to take a short nap before heading to the pool later in the evening, but with Hiyama's words ringing on his head, he knew he wouldn't be getting that luxury.

 _Are you planning to go on like this for the next 14 weeks? Do you want things to end up just like this?_

* * *

Aizawa and Fujikawa were about to head out to the pool when they bumped into Shinkai in the living room who just got back from his 5-day conference in Hokkaido. "Hi guys! I'm home!"

"Ahh welcome back! How's Hokkaido?" Fujikawa greeted back, as cheerfully as ever.

The girls from the pool area have now also noticed Shinkai's arrival and immediately went inside to greet him.

"It was nice. Oh, and here, I bought souvenirs," Shinkai said as he opened his luggage and handed out some snacks. "Just choose whichever you want, ah, but I guess I know which one Shiraishi-sensei would choose."

"Eh?" Shiraishi was surprised by the special mention.

"Since you're 'Shiraishi' you'll get…'Shiroi Koibito'?" Shinkai said, while pointing to the box of cookies among the snacks on the table.

"That's so lame! I bet you intentionally bought that just to make your pun work," Hiyama playfully laughed.

"A, was I caught?"

Everybody burst into laughter and Shiraishi couldn't help but smile, too. Meanwhile, Aizawa just rolled his eyes at his fellow neurosurgeon's attempt for a word play. While everyone was picking their snacks, Shinkai approached Aizawa and lightly elbowed him. "Or maybe _you_ would like some 'Shiroi Koibito' instead, huh Aizawa?" he said while he winked at his comrade. He gave Aizawa a tap on the shoulder, flashed him a wide grin, then handed him a small pack of the said cookie.

The boys had already changed into their board shorts and were now setting up the grill. They were in the middle of a small talk when the girls made their appearance. Saejima was in a loose shirt that covered a quarter of her thighs, with the string of her red swimsuit top visible on her neck. A more assertive Hiyama came in her black-and-white-stripes two-piece swimwear, wearing a sheer cover up over it. Meanwhile, Shiraishi was in a tropical print swim shorts and a white mesh zip-up sleeveless hoodie, giving only a glimpse of her blue bra-top.

"Now it finally feels like summer!" Fujikawa excitedly giggled.

"Let's get this party started! Get your drinks guys," Shinkai clapped and ordered his fellow housemates.

"Cheers!"

As they wait for the meat to be cooked, the members decided to take a dip into the cool water. Aizawa and Saejima were the first to enter while Shinkai volunteered to look after the grill first. Fujikawa got playful and pushed Hiyama, who was smart enough to grab him and together they plunged into the pool. Shiraishi opted to sit by the edge, with a snack in hand and dipping only her feet.

The sun had already set and dinner had begun. Everybody else were playing games in the pool except for Shiraishi and Saejima, who were seated by the poolside and enjoying their barbecue.

Aizawa took a mental note earlier and on his estimate, the meat was about done by now. Wordlessly, he volunteered to check on the grill and just as he expected, the meat was ready for slicing so he started working on it. On the adjacent table, he noticed Shiraishi deciding on what drink to get, while holding her plate on her right hand. Aizawa saw that her plate was almost empty, and without saying anything, he put some slice of meat from the fresh batch to her plate. Although confused by the action, Shiraishi muttered thanks.

"It tastes better when it's hot," Aizawa said without looking in her direction. She just nodded and was about to walk away when she stopped on her tracks. "Ah! By the way, I washed your hoodie already. Please remind me to give it back later." _See? We're good. Everyone's just reading too much into things._

Saejima noticed the small conversation and decided to ask Shiraishi about it.

"So, have you made up?"

"Made up..? Hm, who knows? I wouldn't call it making up if there hasn't been a problem in the first place, right?"

Saejima just sighed. She's not sure anymore if her dear friend was just in denial, stubborn, or simply too dense to notice.

The night got deeper and the breeze got cooler. When all of them were finally in the pool, the housemates played a few rounds of tag. Fujikawa, being the shortest of the bunch, was the most disadvantaged and ended up being the "it" in the end. They also had Hiyama and Saejima compete for who can hold their breath underwater the longest. Hiyama "won" by tricking Saejima and not really going underwater. Everybody, including Saejima, had a laugh at the little prank. Next up were the boys. Aizawa and Shinkai had a friendly race from one end of the pool to the other. It was a really close fight and in the end, it was decided that the result was a tie.

After another hour or so, the members started getting out of the water one by one. Everyone ended up huddling around the barbecue area as they dried themselves up. With everyone tired from the pool shenanigans, the mood was now a little more mellow and relaxed. Nevertheless, the snacking and drinking continued.

"Hey let's do a toast," Shinkai proposed.

"Yeah, yeah…to our first month!" Fujikawa raised his drink.

"To our first month!"

Nobody really wanted to call it a night, but having an early shift the next morning, Fujikawa initiated the cleanup and Aizawa followed. Shinkai, who was already a bit tipsy at that point, also gave them a hand. Meanwhile, Saejima was huddled with the _more_ drunk company of Hiyama and Shiraishi. Hiyama had been ranting (mostly about work) for a good 10 minutes now, and Shiraishi was just nodding, laughing, and getting more drunk by the minute.

"You, you, you!" Hiyama poked Shiraishi on her cheek. ""Don't just laugh with everything I say! You should also share, you know! C'mon, rant with me!" Hiyama encouraged as she clinked her beer can with Shiraishi's.

"Hm? But I don't have any~thing to sa~y!"

"Of course you do! Don't think we have let you off with the issue concerning Aizawa! Right, Saejima?"

At the mention of the neurosurgeon's name, she took a quick glance at his direction, trying to check if he heard her loud-and-drunk friends. Noting that he shortly glanced at their direction, Saejima knew he heard and she decided to take away Hiyama from the vicinity before she says any more troublesome things.

"Alright, Hiyama. Time to go now. We still have work tomorrow. Come on now," she urged her in a friendly tone.

"Ehh?! No~ Shiraishi hasn't ranted yet, right Shiraishi? I wanna hear her rant!"

"YEY! I'll rant!"

 _I'm never getting thee two drunk again. One is a ranting drunk and the other is a happy drunk. Seriously?_

"Okay, okay. Let's hear her rants in the bedroom, alright? Now let's move it, Hiyama." She helped her get up and supported her arm as she walked crisscrossing along the poolside, steadying her so she won't fall into the pool. Shinkai saw her struggle and offered his help in bringing Hiyama to their room.

"Sorry to bother you, Aizawa, but could you keep an eye on that one?" Saejima pointed her head on Shiraishi's direction. "She might fall into the pool or something," she said as they reached the door.

"Aa."

"You should keep her company. I can do this by myself. There's nothing much left to do, anyway. I'll just bring these inside and we're done," Fujikawa encouraged as he finished tidying up the table and gathering the leftovers.

He nodded in answer, "Thanks. I'll leave it to you then."

Aizawa walked towards Shiraishi with hands in his pocket and eyebrows knitted. Shiraishi was sitting on one of the garden lounges, with her head leaning on the backrest. She lifted her beer can to her lips but was disappointed to find it empty.

"Shiraishi," Aizawa called out.

"Ah! Aiza~wa! Perfect timing! Could you get me one more can? This one's e~mpty…"

"We're out of beer," he said in a stern voice.

"Ehhh? Ah, I know! You're just lazy to get up. Okay, I'll get one myself," she said while trying to stand up and almost falling down if not for Aizawa's quick reflexes. He caught her arm just in time and supported her so she could stand properly.

"No, I'm not. Besides, I think you've had enough drinks for tonight."

"How do you know I'm drunk? I'm not drunk!" she protested as she yanked his arm from hers. "You're always like that, Aizawa. You're too quick to make decisions. That's only good in emergency situations, you know."

Aizawa sighed and frowned.

"You…you only went out with me once and you already concluded that I'm boring, right? That hurts. Well, kind of. Okay, maybe a lot? I don't know. But…it hurts. You didn't give me a chance," Shiraishi had this really sad look on her face, and it got Aizawa more confused than ever. _What? Did she think I didn't enjoy going out with her? Isn't it the other way around?_ Now he finally understood what Hiyama meant earlier that afternoon. He wanted to explain his side but at Shiraishi's current state, it's hard to say if she would even remember this conversation once she sobers up, but he decided to give it a shot. If she doesn't remember, then he'll just have to say it again tomorrow.

"Listen. I don't find you boring. I enjoyed being with you. I really had fun. The truth is, I thought it was you who didn't like the idea of hanging out with me, since you strongly denied Hiyama's question. So," he paused to see if she's still listening and he's relieved to see her looking at directly at him with those doe eyes. "I'm sorry if I misunderstood you-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence because the next thing that Shiraishi did caught him off guard.

She wrapped her arms around him and started crying. "I'm sorry, too. I also misunderstood you. Sorry." Just as Aizawa was about to hug her back, he felt water droplets on his palm. It had been drizzling but he didn't realize because he thought the wetness he felt on his shoulder was only due to Shiraishi's tears. As the drizzle turned to rain, Shiraishi pulled away from Aizawa and gave him a wide smile. _The first time in a few days that she had smiled so brightly at me again_. He blushed slightly at the thought and broke eye contact immediately.

"Let's go inside before it rains harder," Shiraishi said as she ran. But a slippery floor and alcohol intoxication is never a good combination. As she ran along the side of the pool, she miscalculated a step, and just when she was falling, she felt a grip on her wrist that was a moment too late.

Shiraishi didn't know why but she couldn't hold back a laugh. Maybe it's the way Aizawa failed not only at pulling her back but ultimately dragging himself into the pool with her. Maybe it's her clumsiness and Aizawa falling victim to it. Maybe it's the rain and the fact that she couldn't open her eyes fully because of it. Or maybe it's simply the thought of them making up and clearing their misunderstandings. She suddenly remembered how she was practically sobbing on his shoulders moments ago and she felt slightly embarrassed. She felt the need to explain that the tears were not because she was sad of the conflict, but more of because she was relieved they had made up.

"Aizawa!" she needs to speak a little louder now because of the heavy rain. "I wasn't really crying because I'm sad, okay? I'm just crying because I'm happy and-"

This time, it was Shiraishi who didn't get to finish what she has to say.

In the middle of the pool drenched on a rainy summer night, Aizawa Kousaku kissed Shiraishi Megumi.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for reading!

To the readers who missed Shinkai on the last chapter, I hope I did justice for his comeback LOL Just a little explanation in case you didn't get his "lame" joke: the first character of Shiraishi's name in kanji means "white" and it has the same character as "shiro" in "Shiroi Koibito". The cookies' name literally means "white lover" so you could say he was trying to imply _something_ when he gave Aizawa one packet ^^;

Also, drunk Shiraishi finally makes an appearance! HAHA! I admit that some scenes were a bit cliche but I still hope you enjoyed this chapter nonetheless (m_m)

Lastly, I'm finally on Twitter! Yayyy! If you'd like to see my random flailing and fangirling side, do follow me sakurai_space (Yup, that's a double underscore^^)

That's it for now~ see you next update!


	7. Chapter 7: At the Beginning

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Blue and Terrace House.

 **Note:** Sorry for the long wait! Here's a short update from me. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 7- AT THE BEGINNING**

 _Ah-choo!_

Aizawa's efficiency for the day significantly dropped. He was asked to sit out on an operation and his department head even asked him to take the day off. He insisted he could stay and finish his patients' reports but he was advised to just finish it at home. He knew insisting his way would be pointless so he obediently changed out of his scrubs and took half day off.

* * *

Saejima just got home from meeting some friends, and by looking at their "notice board", it seems that she'll be alone for a few more hours. The doctors are all on duty today, except for Shinkai who also spent his day off to meet some high school friends. They haven't seen each other for many years so he mentioned he might be coming home late tonight, as he could imagine the amount of catching up (and drinks!) that they'll be having.

That's why Saejima was surprised when she heard somebody coming from the main door at around 4 in the afternoon. She was chilling by the living room, reading some fashion magazines when she heard somebody unlocking the door. By the figure emerging from the stairs, she identified it was Aizawa.

"Eh Aizawa? Aren't you on duty today?"

"I was," he answered and faced her direction, revealing his face covered with a mask.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just caught a cold, it seems." He went down and proceeded to the bedroom.

"Just tell me if you need some medicine. I have some!" she shouted as he made his way down, though she wasn't sure he heard. Then she went back to her magazines and continued for another hour or so until she fell asleep.

* * *

When she woke up, it's almost 30 minutes past 6 in the evening. She's in charge of tonight's dinner so she stretched out from the sofa and went to the kitchen to prepare.

Tonight's menu was cold soba and tempura. She thought it would be the perfect summer food for the hardworking doctors coming home from another long day at work. It doesn't require much preparation, too. First, she made the dipping sauce by combining sake, mirin and soy sauce and bringing it to a boil. Setting it aside to cool down, she started cooking the noodles. While waiting for the noodles to be cooked, she also began to prepare the batter for the tempura. When the noodles were done, they were drained then transferred to a bowl with iced water. She also refrigerated the dipping sauce. After the preparations, she took a photo of the food and sent a message to their group chat on LINE informing everyone of the dinner that awaits them.

 _Uwaaa! Can't wait to eat those! On my way home now! 3_ \- Hiyama

 _Looks delicious! I'm just going to change then I'll be heading home soon, too. Ah, take care going home everyone :)_ – Shiraishi

 _THAT LOOKS YUMMY! ^o^ Unfortunately, I may not make it home by dinner time. T.T There's been a traffic accident and we-_ -Fujikawa

 _Oops gotta go talk to yall later_ –Fujikawa

 _Please save some for me!_ – Fujikawa

 _Got it! Take care, girls! See you in a bit and see you a little later, Fujikawa ^^ Don't worry, there's enough for everyone so don't rush and focus on saving lives! Do your best! *fist emoji*_ \- Saejima

 _Sadly, I won't be joining you for dinner tonight. I'm still with my friends…guess I'll be trying Saejima's cooking next time ^^;_ \- Shinkai

Saejima started setting the table as she waited for the girls. Then she remembered to set aside a portion of the noodles for Fujikawa.

Almost 30 minutes has passed when Hiyama arrived. She entered the kitchen skipping and Saejima smiled while frying the last batch of the tempura.

"You're just in time! It's almost done," Saejima welcomed her.

"Ahhh you're the best, Saejima! I'm starving!" Hiyama said as she took a seat. "Is Shiraishi home?"

"Not yet. But Aizawa is. He went home this afternoon. It seems like he caught a cold."

Hiyama didn't reply but only nodded with a look on her face that shows she's thinking of something. A few seconds later, she got her phone from her pocket and starts calling someone.

"Hello? Shiraishi? Where are you now?...I see. Umm, cold you drop by the drugstore and buy some medicine for cough and cold?...Huh? No, not me. It's Aizawa…Yeah, he's feeling really sick and he even went home early today…I'm not sure, but it seems bad. He can't even get up from bed!...Yeah, I think you can also buy some flu meds…Oh you have some here? Okay…Yeah, okay, thanks! Take care! See you! Bye!"

Saejima chuckled as Hiyama ended the call with a grin on her face.

"Are you playing cupid now?" she raised her eyebrows on the doctor.

"Noooo~ I'm just being a good friend who is concerned for her sick friend," she answered with a hint of sarcasm and the two girls couldn't help but giggle.

* * *

"I'm home!" Shiraishi made her way to the dining area immediately. "How is he?" she inquires.

"Still sick," Hiyama answered as she dipped another serving of noodles into her bowl.

"Has he eaten anything?"

"Not yet. He hasn't gone out of the room since he arrived this afternoon," Saejima answered this time.

Shiraishi looked at the food on the table. _He might not like cold food if he's not feeling well._

"Uhmm, Saejima, please don't take this the wrong way, but do you mind if I cook something else for Aizawa? I don't think he'll be in the mood for cold noodles right now," she said while having a seriously worried look on her face.

Saejima and Hiyama exchanged looks and Hiyama and both of them tried not to smile at Shiraishi's suggestion.

"Sure, Shiraishi. Actually I was thinking of cooking porridge for him but I got a little tired preparing all these food already so I thought of entrusting this task to you or Hiyama. But knowing Hiyama…" she trailed off.

"Yup, I'll pass~"

"Un, don't worry. I'll do it," Shiraishi said with conviction as she tied her hair in a small ponytail and put on an apron.

* * *

Shiraishi carefully put made her way downstairs, carrying the tray which has a bottle of water, the bowl of porridge she cooked and the meds for Aizawa. According to Saejim, he hasn't been out of the bedroom since he got home. _He's probably sleeping._ She contemplated on knocking first before entering or just discreetly leaving the food by his bedside. After much thought, she decided to just wake him up to make sure he eats the porridge. After all, it's best eaten while hot.

She knocked twice but didn't wait for a response. She opened the door and switched on the lights. To her surprise, Aizawa wasn't there.

 _Eh? That's strange. Did he go out?_

She looked around the room and noticed that Aizawa's bag wasn't there and the bed doesn't look like it's been slept on. She looked towards the laundry area but he wasn't there, too. She began feeling a mix of worry and disappointment - worried that he might have gone back to work despite feeling sick and disappointed that her efforts to cook might go to waste.

She was about to return to the dining area when she thought of something. _Ah! Maybe he's there!_

She took two steps back and reached for the game room. As she had guessed she found Aizawa sitting by the floor, with his eyes closed, eyebrows furrowed and head tilted back and leaning on the chair behind him. At the sound of the door opening, he opened his eyes and glanced towards the door. There he saw Shiraishi with a tray on her hands, making her way to him.

"Aizawa!" She had with a worried expression on her face. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting in your room?" She crouched over the center table and put down the tray.

"I would, after I finish these reports," Aizawa said while scratching his eyebrow.

"I heard you haven't eaten anything so I brought you some food. Eat it while it's hot. Also, here are some meds. One is for cold, for cough and also for flu," she talks in a very doctor-like way, he thought.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Ah, I'm not sure about the taste though. It's been a while since I cooked porridge," she said in a quiet voice."

He took a spoonful and commented it tasted just right. "That's good to know," Shiraishi replied. "Well, that's it for me. I just came to deliver your meal. I'll pick up the dishes later so just go take some rest in your room, okay?" she said with a smile.

"No need to do that. I can bring them up myself. It's just a cold. It's not like I can't walk," he said coolly.

Shiraishi nodded and left the room, leaving Aizawa savouring his bowl of porridge while looking at the tray with the pile of medicines.

 _I already took some, though._

* * *

At 9pm, Shiraishi had finished her dinner, taken a shower and changed into her pajamas. It's still a little early so she figured she'll pass some time reading a few books before going to bed tonight or maybe hang out with Saejima and Hiyama by the living room. She was drying her hair with a towel when a thought crossed her mind. _Did Aizawa finish the food? Did he take the medicine? Don't tell me he's still working at this hour?_ With all this worrying, she decided to check on him before joining the girls in the living room. She took with her a thermometer and a fever patch, just in case.

She checked the game room first and was relieved to see neither Aizawa nor his stuff being there. The laptop and the files on the table earlier were gone, too. When it occurred to her that he might still work in the bedroom, she decided to check for herself.

She knocked softly and heard some sneezing on the other side of the door. She gently opened and saw Aizawa lying on the bed. Through the dim bedside lamp, she saw him open his eyes.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's okay. I just had my eyes closed but I'm not sleeping yet," Aizawa said while sitting up.

"I just came to check on you, if you took the meds already."

"I did. Thanks again."

"Don't mention it."

"How did you know I was sick, anyway?" The question has been bothering him since she left the game room earlier. Shiraishi narrated how she got a call from Hiyama with the instructions of buying meds on her way home. "I see," he said as he grabbed the bottle of water on his bedside table.

"By the way, how did you suddenly catch a cold?"

The question almost made him choke on the water he's drinking, but he tried to keep a calm and composed face as usual.

"I…got caught in the rain…last weekend," he cleared his throat. He could vividly recall the events that transpired that day. That _night_. He himself didn't know that time (and still doesn't know even now) what was running on his mind when he did what he did. Before he knew it, he was kissing her and everything felt right. They got out of the pool, and with Shiraishi still walking in a funny way, he accompanied her back to their room. He told Saejima what happened, leaving the part where they kissed-and-made-up quite literally, and suggested she help Shiraishi take a shower. After leaving the girls' room, he went back to the pool area and tried to gather himself together as he took another dip into the pool.

Shiraishi tried to remember when it rained during the weekend. "Ah! When we had the pool party?"

Aizawa nodded, averting his eyes from her direction and taking another gulp from his water bottle.

"I was so drunk that day, I could barely remember what happened," she said with a light chuckle. She put her fingers on her temple, as if remembering the headache it has caused her the following day.

 _Barely remember?_ _No wonder she's not saying anything about_ it, he thought.

"I see," he said out loud. _So which ones does she REMEMBER exactly?_

"Did you check your temperature already?" she asked as she put her hand on his forehead. Aizawa was surprised by the sudden touch and he felt heat creep up his face. He was thankful for the darkness that hid the blush he was sure would have been evident if the lights were on. "Hm, you're a little hot. Here," After handing him the thermometer, Shiraishi opened a pack of fever patch and placed it on Aizawa's forehead. As she tapped the patch to make sure it stuck, Aizawa caught her wrist.

"It's okay now. I can do it myself," he said in a small voice.

Shiraishi was stunned as she noticed just how close their faces actually were. She realized how it must have been uncomfortable for him. "Ah, yes, sorry," she said as she stood up. "Looks like Shinkai and Fujikawa will be home late today, so if you need help or anything just let us know…"

"I will."

"I'll take my leave then. Rest well. Good night."

"Thanks. Good night."

 _The human brain is really interesting. With just some alcohol, it can easily, conveniently make you forget things that had happened. Damn you, human brain._ In all his years as a neurosurgeon, it's the first time he had hated how human brain functioned.

Aizawa lied down again. He wondered how Shiraishi was at work and how lucky her patients are to be treated by her. As the image of Shiraishi taking care of him lingered on his mind, he slowly drifted to sleep.

* * *

Shiraishi hurriedly headed back to their room that she didn't even hear the girls calling out to her from the living room. As soon as she entered the room, she headed straight to her bed, plopped down and covered her face with her pillow. She was frantically kicking in that position when Saejima and Hiyama opened the door, making both of them shocked.

"Oi Shiraishi, are you okay?" an amused Hiyama asked.

"Eh?" she removes the pillow from her face. "Un, I'm…okay," she answered, surprised that her roommates are there looking at her with questioning eyes. "Good night!" she said as she turned her back on them and pulled her blanket over her face.

 _OH. MY. GOSH. It wasn't a dream. It really rained that night. So Saejima wasn't just teasing me when she said I fell into the pool with Aizawa. If that really happened, then- STOP! Stupid, Megumi! Stop thinking about that night! Maybe the_ k-k-ki-kissing _part was just your hallucination? If Saejima knew what happened, surely she would've said something about it by now, right?_

Shiraishi kept on tossing and turning. These thoughts kept her up the whole night and before she knew it, the sun has already risen.

* * *

It seems that the universe is conspiring to make it hard for Shiraishi.

Since a few nights ago, she's been trying her best not to blush just at the mention of _somebody_ 's name. But now, she's required to spend her supposedly relaxing day off doing house chores with that _somebody._

"Aaand, that settles it!" Fujikawa states as he finished writing the weekly schedule on the board. "Since you two are off today, I'll entrust the cleaning duties to you." He inserts himself in between Aizawa and Shiraishi, who were looking up at the board, and puts his arms on their shoulders, bringing them to a huddle. "Isn't this great?! At least you won't be cleaning the pool alone, Aizawa!"

"POOL?!" Shiraishi said in an almost-shouting voice.

"Yes. The pool. It's been a week since we used it and now is the only time somebody can clean it," Fujikawa said while pointing to the board. True enough, next week's schedule looked hectic. Most of them would either be doing double shifts or having night duty, making it a little difficult to work on the pool by morning.

"We got it. Go now or you'll be late," Aizawa said as he showed the time on his phone.

"Crap! I leave this to you guys then! Bye!"

Before starting their cleaning duties, Shiraishi and Aizawa decided to have some breakfast first. They opted for something quick so Shiraishi offered to toast some bread. She started to regret this as soon as the timer for the toaster was set. She sat across Aizawa while waiting for the timer to go off and soon, they found themselves engulfed in silence. Unlike the usual comforting and calming silence they had in each other's company, somehow, this silence was _awkward_.

A little over a minute has passed when both of them spoke at the same time.

"About-"

"How are-"

"Ladies first."

"Uh, okay, uh. Hmm…How are you feeling now? Your cold. Is it…gone?"

"Aa. I'm feeling better now. I already went to work the following day. It's not that bad, really. But thanks for taking care of me."

"It's nothing. I'm glad you feel better now," she smiled.

"About-" Aizawa started but was interrupted by the _ding_ of the toaster and Shiraishi immediately stood up to get the bread.

While munching on their breakfast, he started to speak up again.

"Shiraishi," he called her attention. "I'd like to apologize. About the other day…"

She felt her heart skip a beat. _I'M NOT READY TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION YET!_ She screams in her mind, but only looked at Aizawa in reality.

"I promised to send you the photos at Enoshima, right? I just realized I haven't sent them to you at all. It's been more than two weeks now, I think."

She forced a laughter "Ahh that one! N-no problem at all. You can send them to me now if you want."

Aizawa picked up his phone and browsed his gallery. There were very few personal photos in it, most of them are brain scans and other medical related screenshots. Therefore, the photos from Enoshima clearly stood out from the rest. He carefully selected the photos, deleting some blurry shots, and sending the ones that passed his standards of a "nice photo".

Finally, he was sending some photos from the lighthouse when he came across a certain shot that made his heart beat a little faster. It was a photo of Shiraishi with her eyes closed and that gentle smile of hers and behind her was Mt. Fuji. He remembered how it happened. He was trying to take a shot of Mt. Fuji when his phone came to focus on Shiraishi's face. He unknowingly (or maybe intentionally?) pressed the shutter button, and this photo was the result. He was planning on setting it as Shiraishi's contact photo on her phone but he accidentally tapped the "send" button instead. His mind was on a state of panic but he kept a poker face and waited for Shiraishi to react.

"Ah! I didn't expect I had a photo there! Thanks!" she said with a genuine smile on her face.

He let out a relieved sigh and went back to finishing his breakfast.

* * *

As Shiraishi finished washing the dishes, Aizawa went to the storage room to get their cleaning supplies. The water has already been drained from the pool so the task would not be as labor intensive as it initially looked like.

Aizawa handed Shiraishi a brush with a long handle, which she would use on the floor tiles. On the other hand, he would be brushing the tiles along the walls. They both did their tasks quietly, starting from the far end of the pool. It was too quiet that Aizawa could hear Shiraishi humming while scrubbing the tiles. _Hmm, she doesn't sound bad._ He thought as he continued on his task.

"What kind of music do you like?" he blurted out randomly.

Shiraishi was a bit surprised but glad that he broke the ice.

"Let's see…it depends, but mostly pop music, I guess? I listen to ballads, too. How about you?"

"I don't know a lot. I used to listen to bands when I was in the university. Like, Mr. Children…"

"Ah! Me too! I used to sing their songs in the karaoke," she happily agreed to his musical choice.

"I've never really been to a karaoke."

"Are you serious?! Not even once?"

"Okay, I did maybe once or twice when I was an intern and was forcefully invited by some senior doctors, but I didn't really sing and I think I went home after 30 minutes or so."

Shiraishi laughed at his story.

"Why? Is it that funny?" he raised an eyebrow.

"No, no. I was just trying to imagine your expression when your colleagues were forcing you to socialize. I bet they never invite you to drinking parties as well."

"They don't," he answered still with a straight face and Shiraishi burst out laughing again.

"I think it would be fun to see you get drunk."

"Well, I don't get drunk easily."

"Really? I'm so envious! I have a very low tolerance. My colleagues say I'm a completely different person when I'm drunk so I try to avoid alcohol as much as possible."

"And yet you were dead drunk last weekend."

"Eh?"

"Eh? Weren't you?"

"I WAS! I was totally d-d-drunk! I was soooo drunk I couldn't re-re-member anything!" _Crap. This is dangerous territory._

"That's what I was saying." _She really couldn't remember THAT, right?_ He started to have doubt as she stuttered on her words. "Anyway, you should be careful when you're drinking out. It's dangerous when you get drunk."

"Dangerous? What do you mean?" _Wait. Don't tell me I'm not the one who initiated the kiss?! Stupid, Megumi! Remember things correctly!_

"Just—Nothing. Just be careful. Or just don't drink anything at all," Aizawa said a little strongly than his previous statements.

Shiraishi was still wondering if she wants to pry on the subject more or would it be too "dangerous" for her own good, when her mobile phone rang and she picked it up immediately when she saw the caller ID. Aizawa only heard her say things like "Who's on duty?" and "How are his vitals?" and he knew the call was from the hospital. As soon as she hung up, Shiraishi apologized to him.

"I'm really sorry Aizawa but there's a sudden change with a patient and they're currently understaffed in the hospital so I really need to go now."

"I understand."

"I'm so sorry to leave you like this. I promise I'll make it up to you."

"Don't worry about it. Hurry up and go to the hospital."

Shiraishi nodded and left half jogging.

Aizawa continued scrubbing the tiles but he couldn't help worrying about Shiraishi. He could sense the concern in her voice and the sense of urgency in her footsteps when she was rushing back to the house. From the pool, he could see she's now changed her clothes and ready to leave. After much thought, he got out of the pool and called out to her.

"Wait up, Shiraishi!"

"What is it?"

He picked up the car keys from the holder.

"I'll drive you there."

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey guys! Thanks for bearing with me! I was a little busy with real life stuff so I couldn't upload this chapter for quite a while -.- Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this short and very Aishira-centric update. Just wanna share: When I was writing the "What kind of music do you like?" part, I almost made Shiraishi say something like "Oh it depends but recently I'm into Johnny's" and Aizawa would ask about her favorite and she'd say it's Yamapi, but I drew the line there so yeah LOL.

On another note, filming for the movie has started! Yahooooo! Looking forward to more news from our lovely cast.

As always, comments, suggestions and violent reactions are always welcome! Your reviews always warm my heart 3


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